


Operation: Alola

by pkmntrashcan (janeplane)



Category: Pocket Monsters SPECIAL | Pokemon Adventures, Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: F/M, Gladion is the new Aether President, Moon is a spy and cool spy at that, Slow Burn, but she can't battle HAHA, but won't let go of his Battle Royal ways, international police au, lonashipping, lowkey referencing moon from pokespe, snowlilly mentioned, so i turned on that warning a year after starting this, someone might die, spy AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-10
Updated: 2018-04-20
Packaged: 2018-10-30 06:23:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10870941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/janeplane/pseuds/pkmntrashcan
Summary: Moon, a new force of the International Police, has three main assignments.1. Infiltrate the Aether Foundation2. Gather information on the wormholes, corrupted z-crystals, and Ultra Beast and3. Capture Lusamine.No where did it state that she would have to deal with the brand new, very uncooperative, President.





	1. First Impressions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once upon a time I had a hella weird dream. This is a product of it.

Anabel stares long and hard at the projection; pictures of their newly recruited International Police officers cover the wall. The hum of the projector, and the scribbling of her pen on a notepad were the only sources of sound in the room. Looker, with crossed arms and furrowed eyebrows, stands in the back, his eyes carefully watching Anabel drag a hand across her face in frustration.

“What seems to be the matter?” He asks, clearly interrupting Anabel's trail of thought as a smirk makes its way onto his face. Anabel throws a tired gaze to the back of the room, the only reaction she could find herself doing in her current state. “Your boss is stumped and we’re running out of time” she mutters, turning her face back to the projection. She gives a vague hand gesture to the wall that causes Looker to shift his gaze from her to the pictures.

 “You’ve trained all these recruits. Tell me, Looker. Who should we send on the mission to Alola?”

Looker lifts himself away from the wall and walks towards the front of the room. His footsteps and the rustle of his trenchcoat add a dimension of noise to the otherwise silent room. He approaches the computer and taps a key that quickly scrolls through all the candidates. He stops on the picture of a short black haired girl.

Anabel narrows her eyes at the picture. “I may not work directly with the agents, but I hear _rumors_ , Looker. And all rumors have a sense of truth to them.” Looker only chuckles. “Trust me on this”

A small sigh escapes, "we _cannot_ and _should not_ send someone who can’t hold their own in a battle.” Looker taps another key that opens up her stats.

_Moon._

_Fluent in four languages. Has lived in 6 of the 7 regions, adaptable to foreign cultures. Highly ranked interpersonal skills. Great information retrieval techniques. Quick thinker,..._

The list of redeemable qualities went on and on.

Anabel shakes her head in disdain, her patience wearing thin. “This doesn’t make up for battling.” Looker clicks one more button, "then what about someone who worked at Kanto Regional Hospital?"

 

Anabel's eyes widen. The girl had an extensive resume in the medical field and the upcoming mission required such experience.

“You know very well the Aether Foundation’s so-called goal is to help weak wild Pokemon and nurture them back to health and release” Looker states matter-of-factly.

 “She could go in and out of the Foundation with little to no suspicion” Anabel says under her breath. It was clear why Looker wanted to send the new girl, but she still had her doubts. “Are the rumors true though?”

Looker leaves the computer and walks up to Anabel’s side.

“Sadly, yes.”

Anabel lifts an eyebrow curiously, prompting him to elaborate.

“She doesn't like being the cause for Pokemon’s pain" He replies, a horrid response as Anabel clicks her tongue in disdain.

“Emotions in this line of work will get you killed. Why did she join the force if she's so weak willed?”

Looker places a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Like someone else I know...she got tired of seeing the damage.”

* * *

_“You’re being sent on your first big mission._ _The background: Lusamine, the ex-President of the Aether Foundation, has been missing for two weeks. Mysteriously wormholes, corrupted Z-Crystals, and creatures called Ultra Beasts have been wreaking havoc on the islands ever since her disappearance. Rumor has it that when Lusamine held office there was an underground lab for unethical Pokemon experimentation. There may be a connection to all of this."_

_Moon lifts her eyes from the screen in her hand as she looks at her two supervisors._

_"It is your job to infiltrate the company, find out who works for her or has any clues, find Lusamine and bring her back for questioning. Report back frequently,” Looker adds nonchalantly, the duties continuing as if her life depended on it-- and it did._

_"Understood detectives," Moon says with the utmost of confidence as Anabel hands her over a Pokedex case and a Pokeball._

_“Your safety is always a priority," Anabel begins, "and I am aware of your..._ **_handicap,_ ** _Agent."_

_Another nod escapes the rookie._

_"With this being said Sun will be your replacement in a moment’s notice if you end up in a situation you cannot handle.”_

  _Moon opens her mouth to argue, to disagree, but a small shake of the head from Looker dissuades her._

_“Good luck, Agent Moon.”_

* * *

  
_“Good Morning Moon. Or should I say Alola? Today you have an interview with one of the Branch Chiefs. Set the field. We expect a report later. - Looker.”_

Moon takes a deep breath in as she squints up at the unsettling white building; the bright Alolan sun reflecting off the surface truly made it seem like it was trying too hard to replicate a paradise it was named after. “Rotom, delete message,” Moon commands as she hears the Pokemon hover next to her.

“You sure you wanna do that agent, zzt-zzt? What if you forget your mission, krzt?”

Moon narrows her eyes as she looks away from the building and right at the Pokemon. “Yes, Rotom," she says unamused as Rotom begins the process.

“Commencing deletion of super top secret message! KRRZT-ZZT!”

 Exasperated.

That's how she was feeling 2 hours into this mission. New on the force with a Rotom who only lived to sass her. She didn't need an extra layer of stress.

 “I need you to shut down for two hours, Rotom.”

A shocked gasp leaves Rotom's mouth as he presses against her face. “But Agent, you need me! Zz.” Moon pulls out a Pokeball without a sign of hesitation. “Rotom, return” and like that the Pokedex was made useless. Moon walks through the sliding doors of the entrance. The soft click of her heels drowned out by the buzzing lobby. The white of the outside bled into the interior design and the only sign of vibrant Alolan colors was present in the scattered potted plants.

“Hello and welcome to the Aether Foundation! Home of Pokemon Conservation and Rehabilitation!” Moon hears from beside her. A single male was standing there with a bright smile plastered on his face. Moon stares at his clothing, she stands corrected, the plants **and** his outfit were the only signs of life.  

Moon took note of the name tag: Hau, Melemele Island Kahuna

_Kahuna? Wearing bright orange, clearly not an employee. Really...happy. Good resource for company expectations and climate?_

She gives him a shy smile, now playing into the roll nervous interviewee.  “Hi there, um--” Moon pauses, “I’m here for an interview with a Branch Chief?”

The boy claps his hands together happily. “Oh you must be here for the open position!”

Moon nods, “yeah…”

“Perfect, perfect! I’ll lead the way!”

Moon follows, making mental notes as he gives her a small tour of the facility. The halls were vast, employees walked with a purpose, and she found herself in awe of the facilities all harbored in one building. “Sorry if this is rude, but you’re not from Alola, correct?” he asks as they head down yet another polished hallway.

“How’d you guess?” Moon asks.

“Your outfit isn’t one an Alolan native would wear. We’re aware of the heat,” he gives her a wide grin causing Moon to laugh. “Well you’re correct. I’m from Kalos actually.”  _The lies had to start eventually._

 A glimmer in his eye appears, “really? D’où?”

“De Vaniville et vous?” Moon says with a slight head tilt, her eyes slightly wider to portray the innocence and excitement of hearing one's native tongue. She didn’t expect anyone to speak French here, but when he doesn't respond and only nervously scratches the back of his neck Moon confirms that French would not be a language she would be needing in Alola.

“That was well...um...the extent of my French,” he awkwardly states before stopping in place and extending a hand towards Moon. “I have no idea what you just said, but I’m Hau and you are now at your destination.”

“Moon. Are you an employee here?”

Hau sticks out his tongue and makes a noise of disgust. “And wear those dreary clothes? Nahhh.” Moon smiles at his carefree nature, he gives her a grin back as he brings a hand up to wave. “I’ll probably see you around. Good luck in there!”

Moon mutters a thank you as she watches him leave, the smiley facade now leaving her features as she turns around.  _Not an employee, but maybe he'll come in handy._

* * *

 

She steps through the doors and into a large office with no visible desk or chair from the entrance. She hesitantly walks forward, unsure of where to go, when she hears a nasally voice coming from the desk. A large chair was turned around to face the wall away from the door.

“Wicke, I do not want to interview a new employee. Yes, I know we are short on veterinarians, but all of the ones who have come in have been horrid. They're all so... _independent_. ”

A pause.

“You know I should bring this up with the President. This is your job as _assistant_ branch chief, not mine.”

 A choking fit.

“He’s the who sent you to the conference? Well, that’s absurd. If anything it should be _me_ there. Actually I take that back it should be me in _his role!”_

 _Funny how you only need a few seconds to make a first impression._ Moon clears her throat, making her presence known and prompting the chair to turn and reveal a lanky, receding haired blonde man. He gives her a look of disgust. “It seems it is time for me to do _your_ job. Farewell.”

 “If I’m interrupting something I can step out, Sir,” Moon says emphasizing the title. From the phone call she could tell this guy had a power issue and she was going to work that to her advantage. He gave her a small smirk, clearly enjoying the respect.

 “No, you’re already here. Sit.”

 Moon obliges.

He reaches into a drawer and slaps a piece of paper on the desk. Moon’s eyes followed the motion until she caught sight of the name placard: Faba. He begins to speak and Moon gives him her full attention.

 “We’re going to make this quick because I don't have time for these lowly human resources assignments. I have your resume right here and I haven’t read it.”

Moon fights the urge to roll her eyes. 

“We have had some recent _changes_ in our company. Some of our professionals have left for other opportunities. We are in desperate need a new veterinarian. What brings you here and what can you give to us?," he asks with an unnerving grin. 

But Moon was never one to show her nerves.

“4 years of veterinary experience. 3 years of pharmaceuticals. Why pay two people when you can pay just me?"

Her curt response prompted Faba to flip over her resume. A quick skim. “Why leave a hospital for Aether?”

Moon gives him the most sincere smile she could muster. She places a hand over her heart, feigning shock. “Why would I not want to leave? I’ve heard so much about this organization. How employees, like you, are the real structure and backbone of its success and progress. Hospitals are great, but a company with amazing leadership? Now that’s where I want to be. ”

 Faba beyond pleased with her praise, stands up. “Clearly, your old job was missing people like me. I’ll report to the President that you’re hired." He extends his hand to finalize the outcome. Moon reaches, noting how clammy it was.

“Thank you for this opportunity, sir.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ya’ll can imagine their ages to whatever you want because clearly the Pokemon world doesn’t follow "normal education standards" and MOON COULD BE A DOCTOR AT LIKE 15 IF SHE REALLY WANTED TO, OKAY?
> 
> With that being said I’m picturing early 20s.
> 
> Come talk to me at pkmntrashcan.tumblr.com :)


	2. Rookie Mistakes

_Agent Moon,_

_You mentioned a lack of employees in your report. Were the ones who departed followers of the Ex-President?_

_On that note keep an eye out on the Branch Chief; find a way to meet the other administration. You never know who still has ties with Lusamine._

_L & A_ 

* * *

 

Moon sits on yet another pristine piece of furniture while deleting the message from her superiors. The only noises keeping her company was the ticking of the clock and the low hum of Rotomdex flying about. “Rotom, can you please return to your Pokeball?” Moon asks from across the room, the dismissive Pokemon choosing to ignore her as he continues to flutter around.

“You know Agent, it’s a good thing you actually know medicine or else you would be so lost in this situation. BZZT.”

“You know better than to say things like that out in the open,” Moon says through gritted teeth, her eyes casually glancing around the room in search of signs of surveillance.

“Don’t worry my dear girl. I interfered with the camera and audio recorders in the room. Zzt.”

“And what will they think when security goes over it?” she asks in an annoyed tone, prompting a smile to appear on Rotom’s screen.“You actually think security goes over their footage? Pffzzzzt.”  Rotom flies around her face for a few moments before stopping. “Incoming message from HQ-zzt.”

“Rotom don--”

“We have some extra information for you from our analyst.”

Moon groans.

“As you know the events that are happening in Alola have been happening for two weeks. This mission, however, was put on our radar because of a lead. Turns out this lead came from the Foundation, Agen…”

A knock on the door causes Rotom’s sentence to be cut short. Moon ushers him to return to his Pokeball and quickly pats her hair, clothing and plants a collected smile on her face. _Play it cool_.

A woman, with luscious dark hair, and pink framed glasses steps inside. “Moon, correct?”

Moon stands up excitedly. “That’s me!”

The lady gives her a caring smile and shakes her hand. “Hello Miss Moon and welcome back to Aether.”

Moon lets out an internal sigh of relief, she must’ve not heard anything.

“I’m glad to be back...” Moon trails off, beckoning for the introduction. The older woman smiles. “I’m Wicke, the Assistant Branch Chief.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“The pleasure is all my mine” Wicke says with yet another welcoming smile. “I do have apologize for not being here to interview you yesterday. Master Gladion requested that I attend a conference in his stead. And as someone who never requests something from me I realized it must’ve been vital.”

“Master...Gladion…?” Moon lifts an eyebrow curiously at the title. 

Wicke lifts a hand over her mouth in surprise. “Oh my. Forgive me, old habits die hard. I meant to say President Gladion.”

Moon blinks for a second, before giving her a small smile.  “Will I be meeting him today?”

“The President is out for the day, but when he comes back he’s bound to make his introduction.” Moon makes a small noise of affirmation as Wicke brings a pen up and taps her clipboard.

“Anyways, Miss Moon, let us not delay any longer. We have a long process ahead of us today. We’ll be going over some protocol, paperwork, a quick tour of the facilities, your responsibilities. The works. If you have any inquiries feel free to ask.”

  

* * *

 

Wicke had proven to be an angel in comparison to Faba. She was comforting, welcoming, professional, yet kind. It was a nice change of pace compared to everything else Moon observed while on their way up to the third floor. Everything had a location and a purpose. Employees were hustling around, as if they had a place to be at any given second. It was a well-working system that was a bit off putting. It was too prim and too proper, that even perfection as a word didn’t even seem to fit the description.

“Our third floor hosts the President and Chief offices in addition to our conservation floor. You will be spending a majority of your time here directly working with our rescued Pokemon.”

Moon steps to one end of the glass elevator. Observing the various habitats and species of Pokemon roaming about. “It’s no wonder the Aether Foundation has an amazing track record. These facilities are top of the line,” Moon says genuinely, now wishing she could actually work here if the circumstances weren’t what they were.

“Our mission is to bring these Pokemon the best care so they may return to the wild in prime condition” Wicke says as the elevator begins its descendant downwards. “You know Miss Moon I am quite shocked.” Wicke says, not looking up from her clipboard.

“Pardon?” Moon asks while turning around to face her.

“Your resume and experience” Wicke says as she looks up from the mentioned papers.  “I’m surprised Faba hired a highly qualified, independent employee such as yourself. It’s unusual.”

Moon lets out a small laugh. “I must’ve appealed to his better judgement.”

“Miss Moon, you will soon learn that Faba has no better judgement.”

Moon bites her lip to restrain her laughter.

“But I am happy you’re here. We haven’t seen anyone walk in through our doors with your level of expertise or passion in a while. Our Pokemon need someone like you.”

“Pokemon deserve the best and it’s a job I am fully dedicated to in any form” Moon says solemnly. She turns away to look at the second floor through the panes.

The Aether Foundation had a staff shortage, so to have Wicke so incredibly grateful for her presence, made Moon’s stomach sink.  This Foundation clearly had a well-intentioned goal. They had the blessing of financial stability and well-skilled staff to last this long, but when did it diverge into something so... _sinister_? The other islands were reporting Ultra Beast running amok. Pokemon and trainers were sustaining injuries from z-crystals and mysterious portals appearing over large cities were creating a source of stress for the natives.

None of this seemed to penetrate the walls and ocean surrounding the man-made island.

It was Paradise indeed, but one person’s derailing of a mission caused the rest of the region to suffer.

“Our second floor holds our medical facilities. You may be asked to come down here for pharmaceutical purposes. Each Pokemon on our caseload has it’s dedicated section based on typing and needs.”

Moon tunes back into Wicke’s description of the area. She nods halfheartedly.

“We’ll be skipping the ground entrance floor and head straight to the basement level” Wicke says as the blue water makes its appearance.  “As you can now see this is our dock. Aether employees may use this space to travel to and from Aether Paradise, however many choose not to.”

“Convenient” Moon mutters glancing around the area when her eyes lock onto Wicke’s form.  Wicke’s badge was being held over the elevator’s panel. Her face had a moment of hesitancy, but Moon was forced to look away when the elevator jerks suddenly. A small yelp escapes Moon’s lips.

“Miss Moon if you don’t mind me asking, is it your first time in Alola?” Wicke asks while staring straight through the glass panes of the elevator. Her face a lot more serious this time around.

“Second.” Moon says without another thought, forgetting that that bit of information wasn’t part of her made-up persona. She had gotten caught up in the sense of comfort.

“I see...what was your first trip for?” The question was simple, innocent even.

Moon doesn’t let her mistake divert her away from her given background. It was loosely based on her real adventures of moving around 6 regions, but HQ emphasized that on this mission she was Kalos native, Sinnoh educated, and Kanto trained.

She stuck to it yesterday, she was going to stick to it today, regardless of the real life experience slip-up.

“I was on my way to Kanto for my residency when I had a layover in Alola.”

Wicke hums for a second and Moon just stares in her direction, quickly noticing that the white walls had faded into a steel gray. _That’s new._

“It’s a shame that this is your first extensive stay in our region” Wicke says as the elevator comes to a complete halt. She removes her badge from the control panel and makes her way towards the elevator doors.

“I can assure you that you are in a safe haven. And it is here where you can expand your skills.”

Wicke walks out of the lift and turns around to face Moon who hadn’t moved a step forward. Wicke gives her a stoic face.

“Trust me when I say that you can do a lot in this foundation; that is if you have the _agent...cy_ to, Miss Moon.”

* * *

 

Moon knew that in times of surprise or uncertainty one had to be neutral, calm, and collected. Members of the International Police could not show a moment of weakness, but her eyes widened involuntarily. She had to have misheard what Wicke just said, right? But who in their right mind emphasizes the word like that?

Her heart hammers against her chest. She swallows a lump that had now grown in her throat. “I-I’m dedicated to growing and improving” Moon says, her voice shaky and not as stable as before. Her footsteps beginning to feel more and more disconnected with her body as she follows Wicke through the corridors. “Where are we currently, Wicke?”

_Breathe in. Breathe out._

“B2F is our lowest level.” Wicke says without a second glance towards the young girl. She stops in front of two rooms: Lab A and Lab B.

“This whole floor, the lab facilities full of research and the rooms filled with progress reports, is actually off-limits to those who don’t have the correct badge. A silver magnetic band acts as a key in the elevator.”  

Wicke’s eyes quickly dart to Moon’s badge. Moon follows her gaze. The silver line was evident on her employee ID.

“Ex-President Lusamine spent a lot of time with some of our employees down here.”

Moon blinks.

“Do what you may with that information.”

Wicke heads back the way they came from and Moon stands there in complete stupor. The comfort she felt with Wicke was was now muddled. “Let us go back to the second floor and introduce you to the Pokemon you will begin working with.”

Moon picks up her feet and walks towards the Chief and the elevator. Moon’s mouth formed a straight line. Her mind was running a billion miles per hour. She stares straight on as the metal walls fade back into white.

The answers were all there in the halls and in the labs, she needed to go back.

Moon glances at Wicke.

But what was the risk?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made this chapter too long so I'm splitting it into two :)
> 
> Come talk to me at pkmntrashcan.tumblr.com


	3. Risky Behavior

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's here? ;D

Moon quietly steps into the dark motel room as the door clicks behind her and the automatic lights flicker on. Exhaustion was the feeling that should've overcome her as her back hit the frame of the door, but instead all she felt was pent up tension. Rotom gives the girl a confused look until she takes one big breath in and screams.

Loudly.

“Agent. It’s rude to be that loud at night. You have neighbors, bzzzt” Rotom complains as she parts her body from the door and begins frantically walking around the room.

“Agent.”

“ROTOM. WHAT JUST HAPPENED?” She didn’t bother to drop her volume.

“Age--”

“THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!” Moon points at Rotom. The Pokemon narrows its eyes. “Well that’s rude.”

“YOU STARTED READING THE MESSAGES IN THE SPACE. YOU'VE BEEN HOVERING OUT IN THE OPEN. MAYBE THEY CHECKED THE CAMERAS,” she throws her arms everywhere in her panic, eventually her hands landing on both sides of her cheeks.

She gasps.

“I have to tell Looker and Anabel.”

She paces around.

“I’m going to get fired….or _**worse,**_ ” she stops. “They’re going to send Sun to replace me!” Another groan escapes her lips as she begins pulling at her hair.

“Is that really what you’re worrying about, Agent?”

Her mouth drops in response to Rotom’s question. “Oh no, you’re right Rotom” Moon says sarcastically.  “It’s not like blew my cover to an administrator AT THE PLACE I’M SUPPOSED TO BE INVESTIGATING,” Moon throws her hands up and continues to walk around aggressively.

Rotom flies into her face “AGENT.”

Moon was forced to stop in place, she lets out a huff of air. “ **Not. Now. Rotom.** ”

“You were trained for these situations, Agent and here you are panicking like some kind of rookie.”

Moon glares. “I AM A ROOKIE.”

“But you were assigned this mission so clearly there's more to you than just that. Up until this point you've been nothing but collected and professional and one small slip up should not revert you back to your trainee days! Worried about a replacement, seriously?" Rotom scolds as Moon furiously watches on, her mouth twisting as she evidently was trying to bite her tongue. 

"Besides, I'll have you know _Agent_ Moon," he emphasizes the title, further trying to get it through to her head that she was beyond a newbie. "Looker and Anabel know already. Bzzt.” 

Moon scoffs, as her arms cross around her torso and eyes roll. "Looker and Anabel already know puh-leaseee.” But when Rotom doesn’t retort back, it all hits Moon suddenly. A small ‘o’ forming with her lips as two and two come together.

“You did that on purp…you knew it was Wicke...and that she was--” Moon sets herself down on her bed as the stress begins to fade away slowly.

“Sorry…”

“Apology accepted dear girl”

"I should've never reacted this way," Moon murmurs as she lets her back hit the mattress. Her arm draping across her eyes as she continues to take long languid breaths in.

“While we’re on the topic of your actions, don’t think I didn’t notice your little slip up back there, Agent.” Rotom says sternly.

Moon doesn’t bother moving or glancing at the Pokemon. “hmmm?”

“You’ve been to Alola? That’s a piece of information **not** given to you by headquarters, but also **_not_ ** in our database about you” Rotom says pointedly.

She braces herself for the scolding of a lifetime.

“You’ve lived in 6 regions, not 7. Bzzt” His screen pulls up Moon’s statistics and it zooms into the fact.

“It was just like I mentioned, Alola was a fleeting stop in the middle of a trip, okay?” Moon snaps as she sits up; now watching Rotom’s screen flash every page of her immense profile. Realization strikes Rotom as he stops on one piece of vital information. “You used to have a Decidueye…”

Moon’s hands clench at the bed sheets beneath her.  “Can we not bring that up, Rotom?”

Rotom looks at the girl and lets out a sigh. Sure she had potential. Looker saw it. Anabel saw it. Even he could see it, but Moon really was young, freshly trained, and not yet seasoned enough to know the full effects of her mistakes.

So it was up to him to be a proper mentor now.

“Do you know why I was assigned to you, Agent?” Rotom quietly asks Moon.

Moon changes her gaze to her feet. “To make sure the mission is completed without casualties.”  

“And casualties are caused by what, Agent?”

“Careless mistakes.”  

Rotom flies in front of Moon’s face, forcing her to look up as he quietly mutters “ _Don’t let your first mission, be your last, Moon,_ ” before floating off into another corner of the room leaving Moon silently to think about the thinly veiled threat. 

* * *

 

The following day was difficult to say the least. There was no sign of Wicke and the rest of the staff was either overbearingly nice or incredibly rude.

Moon throws portfolios onto her desk and slumps forward in her chair at the end of her shift. The clock read 11:47PM. Her contract said normal days would end by 6PM. Her fingers rub circles on her temples, "I knew this place was short-staffed but this is insane."

“Is the coast clear, Agent?” Rotom asks through Moon’s headpiece.

“Mhmm,” Moon mumbles as the pokemon leaves the bag.  “I don’t like sitting in a bag for 12 hours, Bzzt” Rotom whines, but Moon only gives Rotom a weak smile.

After last night's talk they both agreed they needed to be more cautious. Rotom had to be less careless and and the headpiece was their compromise. If something were to happen both would still be at reach even at a distance.

Rotom notices Moon’s exhaustion, “Agent do you not enjoy vet work anymore?”

“No, it's nothing like that," Moon responds as she reaches forward to put the folders in a neat pile. "I dedicated my life to this once you know? Helping Pokemon. They’re worth every minute in this field, but it’s the _people_ I can’t stand,” she murmurs as she opens up her desk drawer and finds a box.

“You would assume an office would be cleared out when someone leaves…”

“What’s wrong, Agent? Zzt” Rottom asks as he zooms next to Moon.  Moon narrows her eyes as she lifts the attached tag.

 

_“Saving you a trip downstairs - W”_

 

Moon quickly opens the box and pulls out the first folder. It was labelled “ _THE ULTRA BEAST PROJECT_ ” A small smirk appears on her face. “Looks like we won’t be going home for a while, Rotom.”

“I’ll go keep guard, bzzt.”

* * *

A couple of hours pass and Moon had gone through several documents on the Ultra Beasts. Sadly, there were no leads to Lusamine, but this was better than nothing. Moon sifts through the last package of the night, a folder labeled “ T Y P E: N U L L”

“Seems like my _favorite_ person, Faba, played a role in creating this Pokemon” Moon drags her finger along the pages as her eyes read the rest of the text. “He even deemed the poor Pokemon a failure.”

Moon wanted to punch that man even more. The door to her office opens suddenly and Rotom floats in. A panicked expression plastered on his screen.

“Agent, we need to leave **now**!” Rotom says urgently, but before Moon could even ask why a loud crash could be heard from outside.

“What was that?” Her eyes blown wide. “Our sign to leave!” Rotom says as he goes back the direction he came.

Moon reaches for the Pokemon and pulls him back. “How are we going to leave if the source is OUT THERE?”

“We can’t just wait here bzzzt!”

“We have no other choice!” Moon says through gritted teeth. She quickly stuffs the folders back into the box and crams it back into the desk.

_“Null, everything is going to be okay. You need to remain calm.”_

The voice came from right outside door.  Moon pulls Rotom along with her to hide behind a bookshelf. She pushes her hand against her mouth and nose in an attempt to be silent.

The door slams open only to be followed by crashing chairs and shattering glass.  A loud cry fills the small office; Moon knew the sound of a distressed Pokemon by heart.

“Null, please calm down, you don’t want to injure yourself more.”  The voice lets out a sigh. “This wound is deep and I’m not entirely sure what to do” he mutters. “I’m sorry buddy we’re going to have to wait until Wicke is here to get you some help.”

The Pokemon lets out yet another cry. Moon swallows the lump in her throat.

“Null retu---”

_Rotom is going to kill me._

“WAIT!” Moon screams, coming out from hiding. She first looks at the male. Tall, blonde, dressed in all black, and clearly dumbfounded at her appearance, but she had little time to worry about him when her eyes caught sight of Type: Null and the injury it sustained.

The blonde male steps in front of the Pokemon defensively.

“Moon what are you doing?” Rotom quickly says into her headpiece but it falls on deaf ears. She looks back up and is meet with very angry piercing green eyes.

“WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?” The blonde demands an answer while reaching for another pokeball on his belt.

_Shit._

“Your Pokemon is injured, he’ll get worse if called in” she replies quickly, albeit panicked at the idea of a Pokemon battle. His hand hesitates, but both of them are pulled out of the high tension situation when Type: Null lets out another weak cry. The pain was wearing the Pokemon down and Moon jumps into action.

She pushes past the pissed off blonde, but leaves a gap wide enough to keep the Pokemon comfortable. “Hey there” she whispers softly as she crouches down. She extends her hand out, allowing the Pokemon to approach her at his own speed.

“He’s not going to approach you” the male says roughly. Moon gives Type: Null a dejected look, he really wouldn't budge.

“I’m not going to hurt you, sweetie” she whispers. Type: Null looks at his trainer, as if asking for permission. Moon narrows her eyes at the blonde,  _begging_ for his cooperation. He only gives a small nod and Type: Null limps towards Moon. The Pokemon soon leans his head into her hand.

“Poor baby, at least you can walk a little” she whimpers when he leans into her hand. “Is it okay if I check your leg?” The pokemon lets out a small cry, much quieter than the cries from earlier.

Moon grabs some new gloves from the counter before returning to Type: Null. She takes her time in carefully examining the leg and lets out a sigh when she finishes. She stands up and removes her gloves before throwing the sharpest glares at the trainer.  He definitely seemed worried, but she was not happy.

“YOU. SIT.” She points to one of the knocked over chairs. The blonde gives her a scowl as if wanting to say _you can’t tell me what to do_.

“Your Pokemon needs stitches, and if you want your Pokemon to return to battling you _better_ wait patiently.” She walks to the door. “I’ll be back, I need to find the suture tools somewhere in this building.”

In that moment a small light of realization hit him. “Are you the new hire?”

Moon gives him an unamused face. “That’s information I would rather not give a total stranger breaking into a building.”

He opens his mouth to protest, but she had already left. It would’ve been fruitless anyways. He **was** dressed like a thug, in an empty building, at 2AM.

He approaches Type: Null who only barks.  He lets out a sigh of relief.

“Null, next time we come face-to-face with an Ultra Beast, we leave. Don’t jump into battle, I don’t want any of you getting hurt.”

The Pokemon lets out a guilty whine. The male shakes his head as he gently pats Null’s back.

“I know you were only trying to protect me, but that’s my job, not yours.”

Moon walks back in and once again points to the chair. The blonde listens, much to his disdain.

* * *

 

45 minutes pass and the stitching process was complete. Type: Null barked, clearly happier than before. The trainer approaches the Pokemon, a small smile present on his face.  

“Thanks” he mutters.

Moon only clicks her tongue. “It’s my job.”

He calls in Type: Null and begins to leave when Moon speaks up. “You really shouldn’t be that negligent.” Her voice was stern, she wasn’t scolding the young man, but the disappointment was evident.

He places a hand on the door frame and looks over his shoulder. “You don’t know half of the story.”

“Does the other half **_really_** matter when your Pokemon gets injured?” Moon’s eyebrows furrow.  

He scoffs and leaves the doorway, but a few moments later he walks back.

“By the way, you could get fired for working overtime without permission.”

Moon only stares in disbelief. _The nerve._

When she turns around and away from the door she’s met face-to-face with Rotom. The Pokemon was seething.

Moon swallows nervously. “I-I swear I can explain all my actions…”

“AGENT!”

* * *

 

Moon had to report to work at 9AM, and after another lecture from Rotom, buzzing thoughts about an actual Type: Null, and the careless actions of the mysterious trainer burglar, sleep was a lost cause. So she showed up at Aether in a daze and completely dependent on caffeine. She went through the motions ~~(and luckily wasn’t overseeing any medical procedures)~~ and just focused on reading up on her caseload in an attempt to not think about what unraveled last night.

An hour or so in there was a knock on her door.

“It’s open!” Moon says, not looking up from a newborn Mareanie’s profile.

“Miss Moon, can we come in?”

Moon turns in her chair and sees Wicke standing in the door frame. She gets up and walks towards her, her mood instantly getting better.

“Yes, of course. Can I help you with something?” Moon asks with a small tilt of her head.

Wicke gives her a warm smile. “There’s someone here to meet you.” Moon lifts an eyebrow until a figure comes in from behind the wall to stand right next to Wicke.

Her mouth drops.

Right in front of her was the same male from last night. Same vibrant green eyes and pale blonde hair, only this time he was in a white tailored suit embellished with a small green and black Aether symbol on his right hand pocket sleeve.

Wicke gestures towards him. “President Gladion, this is Moon, our newest veterinarian. Miss Moon, this is President Gladion and all three of us need to have a long discussion about last night.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and this is why I split the chapter in two :)......


	4. Suspicions

_Day 2 & 3 Report_

_Detectives-zzt._

 

_What kind of **audacious** move was it to inform us once we arrived here that Wicke was the lead? Bzzzt._

_But I digress, these reports are not to scold you, but to tell you about our progress and about Agent Moon._

_You see, Moon has been working hard. She started following up some leads, and her patience and skill set proves vital in these beginning operations._

_What I can’t do however, is overlook how  I N F U R I A T I N G she is. And because this girl DOES NOT LISTEN TO PROTOCOL she is very well A RISK TO SOCIETY, THE ORGANIZATION, AND EVERYTHING WE KNOW._

_THIS IS  NOT A GOOD THING._

_Rotom._

_P.S. I already reprimanded her, but it will be to no shock if this happens again._

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Gnawing on the back of Moon’s mind was the purpose of this meeting. Was her cover blown? Was she going to lose her job? Was she going to be kidnapped and sacrificed to the Ultra Beasts? Clearly, she was jumping to conclusions. _Right?_

When they stepped inside, however, Moons thoughts took a pause. She wasn’t surprised by the white anymore, but it was so bare. And the fact that the room screamed ‘uptight perfectionist’ made Moon wonder if this was really Gladion’s office; it contrasted with the impression she got the previous night.

It was unsettling, to say the least.

  

Gladion walks towards one end of the room while Wicke gestures towards the chair in front of the President’s desk. Moon sits.

“Miss Moon, you are indeed talented in your field” Wicke begins “Master Gladion informed me that you helped nurture his Pokemon back to health. Is this true?”

Her eyes naturally drift to the President, he wasn’t paying attention the conversation, and was completely focused on staring out of the window.

She looks back at Wicke. “Yes, Maam.” Her voice wavered ever so slightly.

 Wicke taps a pen against her clipboard. “Although I am happy that you were able to handle the situation, you cannot be working into the wee hours of the night. Your contract states you are paid hourly.”

 Moon blinks. “I’m sorry?

 Wicke gives her a stern look. ’You as an employee of Aether cannot be working overtime without prior approval from your supervisors.”

 “T-this is an HR meeting?” Moon stammers out. Wicke looks at her curiously. “Why of course, what else would it be about?”

“I thought I was going to lose my job or something” Moon waves her hand around, brushing away the thought.

Wicke lets out a small laugh. “Someone who can calm down Type:Null and treat it is someone we want to keep on our team. And _trust me_ , we will not be letting you go anytime soon.” Wicke’s words were comforting and if anything a sign of her true involvement with Moon’s mission.

“Now, with that being said. I will allow you two to discuss _certain_ matters.” She heads towards the exit “Master Gladion, you have your first board meeting today, don’t be late.”

“Understood, thank you Wicke” he replies as she exits the room, but when the door shuts he coldly stares at Moon.

_Now this was going to be the interesting._

 “Wicke seems to be favorable of you” he says sharply from across the room. Moon bites her tongue. _You can’t sass your supervisors._

“I suppose so.”

 He scoffs. “The attitude you have in this space is quite different from last night, isn’t it?”

Moon clenches her hands on her pants; restraint was not her strong suit. Gladion sits at the desk Moon was in front of. “When did you start working here?”

 “Officially yesterday”

 “And you’re already breaking rules?” Gladion crosses his arms.

Moon takes a deep breath in. _Restraint. Restraint. Restraint._ “I was only trying to be prepared for my next day of work until **you** showed up with a hurt Pokemon!” 

_Oops._

Moon pauses realizing her phrasing. “What happened last night won’t happen again, I promise.” Moon says, quieter this time around.

 “It **can’t** happen again” Gladion adds with more conviction. “Everything you saw yesterday stays between you, me, and technically Wicke. Do you understand?”

Moon opens her mouth to agree, before pausing. This was her chance to turn things around in her favor. Gladion lifts an eyebrow curiously at her hesitation.

 “You have to let me check up on your Pokemon”

 “WHAT?”

Moon stares at him with her wide gray eyes. No hesitation evident.  “In exchange for my silence, you have to let me check up on Type: Null.”

“And why would I agree to that? I am your supervisor, who do you think you’re talking to?” His voice laced with annoyance. Clearly, he wasn’t one to be backed into a corner.

“You said your Pokemon doesn’t trust others, so why put him under more stress by finding a new doctor?” Moon retorts.

 “Tsk. What happens to my Pokemon shouldn’t be your concern.”

Moon doesn’t back down. “It’s my job to be concerned for the well-being of Pokemon, especially when they're in my vicinity.” 

Gladion stares right at Moon. She was right.

“ **I’m doing this as a favor to you.** ”

Gladion slams a hand on the table. Others could not know of this Pokemon’s existence, and he knew very little about the new hire to determine if she was bluffing. It was a chance he was not willing to take.

 “Null is not an easy Pokemon to care for.”

Moon gets up from her seat and steps closer to the desk, clearly acknowledging the way this conversation was going. “I’m a professional.”

 “And all check-ups must be done under strict conditions.”

Moon extends her hand towards the President. A small victorious smile present. He shakes her hand with great reluctance.

“Deal.”

Their hands drop.

“I can take a look at Type: Null right now if it makes it easier for you” Moon offers, figuring that his schedule must be more jampacked than hers. Gladion glances at his watch. He should be preparing for the board meeting. He shakes his head. 

“I can’t leave Null on his own with someone so _unfamiliar_.” His voice was apprehensive and clearly suspicious of Moon. She took no offense to it, she found him just as suspicious.  

Gladion pulls out his phone and begins scrolling. “I can come by your office post meeting, I have a gap between that and the next.”

“Perfect, I’ll schedule it in, Mister President.”

And with that Moon leaves the room and walks down the hall with a brand new surge of pride. She finally did _something_ right and she was **not** going to slip up. 

“Agent, good job back there bzzt” Rotom speaks into her earpiece. Moon only gives a small ‘mhm’ in response, not wanting to run another risk of being overheard.

The confident smirk on her face didn’t falter, however. She was certain that President Gladion was involved with the Ultra Beast, she just needed to prove **how.**

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 Saying that the board meeting was rough was an understatement. Members were calling out Gladion’s lack of experience, his young age, and his overall persona as inappropriate for the position. Wicke tried to come to his defense. Faba wholeheartedly agreed with everyone else (and even said he should get the position). And Gladion just sat there and took it all in. If he fought back they would harbor more negative thoughts, if he stayed quiet and say he would improve they would at least shut their mouths. He couldn’t blame them for their concerns, he agreed for the most part. This was not something he signed up for.

 He lets out a sigh as he makes his way to the observation floor; a floor that once was filled with visitors on tours, now stood abandoned as of two weeks ago. It was a good spot to think and to get some peace and quiet that wouldn’t come otherwise. And Arceus knows he needed it. He needed to get away from people constantly bombarding him with questions of how he’s going to save Aether.

 He didn’t know.

What he did know was that this organization, in essence, was good, but the actions of one person put the lives of many Pokemon and now trainers on the line. It pissed him off.

 He already had ideas of how he could go around capturing Ultra Beast, or finding Lusamine, but they were all risky. Too risky and learned of those risks first hand last night.

He rubs a hand against his face in frustration as he leans his frame against the metal bars. He looks down towards the conservation sites.  From his position he had a clear view of the different habitats. Aether, even through all the recent revelations, still had some dedicated members that weren’t part of Lusamine’s schemes.

They were the real heart and soul of the organization.

A small blessing in the mess all around him.

And it reminded him that he needed to meet up with one in particular. _The new one._

 The one who yelled at him the night before. The one who seemed like she was going to cry at the thought of losing her job. The one who couldn’t bite her tongue and expressed her concerns loudly and albeit rudely.

She did try to hold back, he could give her that.

 But something was strange about her. How she so willingly helped a stranger out. How she wasn’t surprised at Type: Null’s form and how she continued to show concern for it. And how she, according to Wicke, had left a very prestigious job and moved from another Region to work at a failing company.

 It was strange.

He glances down for a sign of Moon when he catches sight of her dark hair. She was taking notes on an Alolan Grimer.

 He makes his way downstairs.

* * *

 

Gladion approaches Moon only to stop in his tracks.

 “Hmm, it seems like the crystals are starting to form, huh Grimer?” Moon asks sweetly.

 “Grimeee” the Pokemon responds with a wide grin, showing off the two rocks that had formed in its mouth. Moon lets out a tiny squeal as she quickly writes something else down. “This is good. It means your toxin levels are starting to balance out. You’ll be going home in no time, isn’t that great?” Grimer only smiles wider and gets closer to Moon.

Gladion watches the interaction, slightly expecting Moon to back away like anyone else would, but to his surprise she let the Pokemon have its way. Grimer envelops Moon in a hug and all she does is laugh in response.

A few seconds later she speaks up. “Okay Grimer, it’s time to let go. I have to go check in on the others.” The pokemon protests as it lets go.

 Moon gives Grimer one last pat before getting up. She brushes off her pants, the goop sliding right off them. She glances up from her clipboard and turns around only to see Gladion standing there; a look of stupor written all over his face.

 “Mister President, what are you doing here?” Moon asks in surprise. The two, in a matter of hours, had a strained relationship and she didn’t expect him to approach her for any reason. If anything she thought that their arrangements for Type: Null would be more low-key.

“No one lets the poison Pokemon get that close to them” Gladion mutters.

Moon tilts her head, confused by his remark. “But they’re so precious!”

Her reaction was endearing.

 Gladion lifts his hand to his mouth and looks away.  “What we discussed earlier...my next meeting isn’t until an hour from now.” He begins. Moon catches on.

 “Oh, of course.”

 Gladion doesn’t speak a word as Moon led the way to her office.

 There was no doubt that she was still suspicious of the President, but being enemies with him was a role she didn’t want to play. She needed to pretend she was on his side and that started by being civil.

 They step inside. Moon offers him a chair that he declines and she lets out a huff of air. _So stubborn._

“So as you may or may not know the deep stitches will be dissolving in a matter of weeks.”

 Gladion nods.

 “And around that time I’ll have to remove some of the smaller ones at the top of the wound.”

 “Will it hurt him?”

Moon stares at him for a second, taken aback by the concern in his voice. Was the aggression an act from last night an act? Or was it a reaction to the whole situation and her own pushiness?  “It’s a simple procedure with very little pain. A local anesthetic is applied.”

 Moon begins shuffling through cabinets looking for gloves. “These coming check-ups are to make sure nothing gets infected and that your Pokemon is okay to walk. The wound was deep after all.” Moon finds what she was looking for and turns to face Gladion.

 “Today should only take a few minutes, then you can be on your way.” She gives him a small smile and he unlatches the Pokeball from his belt. Type: Null is released.

 “You better have not battled with him in the past 18 hours” Moon says pointedly. She cautiously approaches the Pokemon. Type: Null only stares at her.

 Gladion lets out a scoff. “After last night? Of course not.”

Type: Null didn’t need an order from Gladion this time around as he leaned down and licked Moon’s hand causing her to giggle. Gladion’s eyes widen at the sight. “I know you said your Pokemon is cautious, but he really doesn’t seem that way.”

 “It’s surprising to me, he won’t even go near Wicke.”

 Moon hums in response, getting absorbed in the work. A few minutes later she asks Gladion to recall him. “Is he okay?”

“He’s fine and taking the stitches well. No battling, and limited walking. Okay?”

She reaches for a tiny bag on the counter and hands it over. “Medicine for any pain he may feel.”

 “How did you get this?” His hands clench around the bag.

“Don’t worry no one knows. I have pharmaceutical access.” Gladion opens his mouth to ask how when she cuts him off.

“I was a pharmacist before this, one of the reasons why Faba hired me. A kill two birds with one stone type of thing” Moon says with a shrug. Gladion nods as he reattaches the Pokeball and begins to head out the door. 

“Remember your end of the deal.”

 “Of course.”

He places his hand on the doorknob. “On that note, please report for work later than usual tomorrow. You had overtime yesterday so it has to balance out somewhere.”

Moon’s eyes widen. “But what abo--”

 “Your caseload will be fine. You don’t want to deal with HR again, because after Wicke is Faba.”

 He opens the door, but decides to look back at Moon.

“Thank you for taking care of Null. I--” He pauses as if mulling over his next phrase. "I appreciate it."

* * *

 Moon’s trip back to her room as a quiet one. Earlier today she was certain; 100% confident that Gladion was involved with Lusamine. He had a engineered Pokemon to hunt the Ultra Beast how could he not be involved?

But seeing his reaction to Type: Null being cared for pulled at her heartstrings.  

“Rotom, hear me out.”

“What is it Agent?”

“Is it bad to have opposing opinions on someone?” She asks as she pushes the door to her room open.

He floats closely to Moon’s face. “In our line of work, it is important to know who is on what side-krzzt. It’s best to have one solid opinion, but an informed one.”

 Moon nods. “The President he seemed a bit defensive did he not? A little secretive, more reserved?”

“Humans are strange creatures my dear girl-bzzt.”

Moon throws her hands up in frustration.  “All signs pointed to his involvement with Lusamine, but now I’m seconding guessing. No one who cares that much can be evil.” 

“No one is in the clear except Wicke, Agent." Rotom states. "Just promise me you won't jump to conclusions. We’ve had enough of your rash decision making to last a lifetime. Bzzt” Rotom sighs, clearly tired of everything that went wrong the previous days.

 Moon nervously chuckles.  “Oh! I’ve been meaning to ask how long has he been President anyways?”

 “Given Lusamine’s disappearance two weeks ago, I would say it’s a fairly new role for him bzzt.”  Rotom states.

 Moon plops down on her bed. “We’re in the same boat then.”

 “He’s the President of an organization on our radar and you’re a new agent of the International Police. Tell me what boat are you two on? Bzzt.”

 The ‘ _I don’t really know what I’m doing_ ’ one.” She sighs. “Anabel and Looker replied. They weren’t very pleased with your report.”

“It is my duty to report the truth on all matters-krzzt.”

 She reaches forward and pulls Rotom towards her.  She gives the Pokemon a stern look. “I know I messed up, but cut me some slack next time. You called me infuriating and a risk to society!”

“Prove me wrong then, Agent. Your natural talents can’t make up for your actions.”

Moon gets up. Her eyes sparkled with determination. “Fine, let’s go over all that we know about the employees and the mysterious Pokemon I now get to study up close and personal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little fast paced, but I'm tired :( I'll have to look for errors tomorrow


	5. Revelations

 

_Day 45_

_Anabel, Looker_

_There is nothing new to report, **again.**_

_Moon_

* * *

Progress had been stale to say the least and Moon had gone through every piece of research available to her. 

So for 45 days she observed, waited, hoped, and reported. And the only thing that kept Moon busy was her work and the growing profiles she had on each of the Aether employees. 

 

Faba.

Faba was a sad little man who had been working at Aether for decades. He was bitter and always ready to step on other people’s toes. It was a daily ritual for him to express how he believed the current President was unfit to lead. 

The two branch chiefs didn’t meet eye-to-eye on this and their vastly different opinions on a Pokemon’s well being made it surprising to believe that Aether had stood so strong for so long. These views highly suggest that Faba believes in Lusamine’s work. This wasn’t shocking to learn when it became common knowledge that his position was granted to him by the ex-President for aligning his views with her.  

Sadly, to Moon’s dismay, opinions weren’t enough evidence to apprehend him.

Wicke.

Wicke revealed through subtle comments and actions to have been against the whole tirade from the beginning. Powerless to stop the ex-President she felt like she had to set things right which is why she reached out to the International Police. She gave Moon access to _everything_ , but they reached a point where there was no more she could offer. She believed in the mission of Aether and she believed in the current President and his capabilities to pull the company back up. But Moon observed that she spent a lot of time keeping the him in line.

And President Gladion? 

He stayed an enigma and Moon couldn’t place him on a side. Was he using Type: Null as a tool like Lusamine? Or was he just a concerned trainer? She tried her best to strike up conversation, to get him to open up. It was a short lived attempt and eventually she gave up trying to pry answers from him. 

But Moon noticed that the President spent a lot of time sneaking out, and when caught Wicke constantly had to remind him that _“this company is in your hands now, Master Gladion.”_

His response was always silence that Moon never meant to walk into.

_“Sorry for the interruption, it’s time for Null’s checkup.”_

That scenario happened more than once.

And if Moon could build a profile on herself she would. 

She was restless, frustrated, angry and every night she found herself in front of a screen hearing the daily count of injured Pokemon and trainers. She desperately needed a lead to Lusamine, but hope was dwindling fast when a few days ago Alola news started reporting less sightings of wormholes and a consecutive week of no Ultra Beast appearances.

Something with that much power wouldn’t just drop off the face of the earth.

 “Agent, have you considered going back to training? Bzzt” Rotom asks, his voice doing nothing to pull Moon’s attention away from the TV. The blue tint of the screen illuminates her tired features. Her eyebrows furrowed, her mouth formed a straight line. She wrapped the blanket around her tightly.

“Rotom you know I can’t…”

 Rotom flies in front of her, blocking the view. Moon doesn’t meet his gaze.

 “Agent, we both know that this isn’t a good sign. We’re running out of time.” Rotom says quietly. “We don’t want the moment we have to call Sun in to be too late.”

Moon swallows a lump that had now formed in her throat. “I won’t be able to train a Pokemon fast enough, the wormholes could open at any moment.”

Rotom sighs. “I’ll send Anabel and Looker the request for Sun. He’s been in Alola doing field work, he can be here by tomorrow.”

 Moon stands up in response, her blanket pools around her feet.

“Agent, Bzzt?”

She doesn’t utter a word as she walks to the door.

“Where do you think you’re going, Agent?” Rotom asks more frantically this time around.

“I need air”

“Mo–”

 The door closes with a quiet click.

* * *

Moon finds herself wandering the empty streets of the neighboring island of Akala.

Moon berates herself for leaving the way she did. Rotom really did deserve a more competent partner and with her emotions getting the best of her that became a hard role to fulfil. Moon lets out a sigh as she walks on the small sliver of grassless path on Route 6, acknowledging her Pokemon-less ways. 

_I’m useless and will continue to be once those wormholes reappear_

Moon continues to walk until she notices the change of scenery. _Royal Avenue._ She looks all around and sees the dome at the end of the street was brightly lit. Spotlights of 4 different colors surrounded it. _huh._

“It’s a little late to not be in the Battle Dome” Moon hears from behind her. She clicks her tongue and clenches her hands. Was Alola filled with creepers in the middle of the night too?  “Listen, I don’t need someone telling m—” She turns around only to see a familiar face.

 “Hau?”

 The Kahuna stares at her with wide confused eyes. “I’m sorry. Have we met…?”

 She drops her battle-ready hands. “Aether, a few weeks ago.”

 And suddenly it’s like a lightbulb turns on in his head. “Well look at you Kalos girl. Looking more like an Alolan native this time around!”

 The cool breeze serves as a reminder that she was she dressed for the Alola day, not night.

 “Are you here for the semifinals…um…” he nervously chuckles “I don’t remember your name.”

She waves her hand around, dismissing the forgetfulness.  “Moon.”

“Well then Moon, we can walk to the Battle Dome together!”

 Moon’s forehead crinkles. “Um…I’m not…I’m not sure what that is?” Her voice goes up in pitch prompting a small gasp to leave the boy’s lips.

“You’re not here for the Battle Royal?”

She shakes her head.

“Or the semifinals?”

 She shakes her head once more. Her eyes widen when a giant grin forms on his face.

 “Moon, it’s time to discover the best scene in Alola. What else could you be doing?”

_My job?_

“I really should be going back home…” Moon begins, but her curiosity was present and growing. She had yet to explore Alola and for once she may be able to live ‘normally.’ 

Hau walks behind her and gently nudges her forward. She lets out a small yelp that only causes him to laugh.

“C’mon it’ll be fine! We can cheer on the same person too!”

* * *

Inside was absolutely stunning and Moon gazed at everything with excitement in her eyes. The seats were filled to the brim, a bell was ringing, the crowd was roaring and cheering on the current contender who just took round 1. Moon follows Hau to his _reserved floor seats_ , a perplex look plants itself on Moon’s face.

 “Do I need to pay you big pokedollars to sit here with you?” She jokes.

“Of course not! I got these two seats as a gift from my friend.”

She only nods as she sits down. “There’s so many people” Moon says with pure astonishment, her eyes continuing to dart around. Hau only laughs. “Of course there are people! It’s semifinals!”

 The trainers leave the stage, but the buzzing sounds of the audience never cease. Flags and towels supporting different trainers shake around.

 “Did we miss your friend’s round?” Moon asks

 “Oh nononononon, my friend is coming out in the Round 2. You’ll probably recognize him in an instant.”

 Moon lifts an eyebrow. “But I don’t know anyone in Alo–”

 “Battle Royal friends and family ARE YOU READY FOR ROUND TWO?!” An announcer hypes up, his deep voice booming through the colosseum.

 “IN CORNER ONE WE HAVE THE BOSS WHO BEATS YOU DOWN, AND BEATS YOU DOWN, AND NEVER LETS UP: GUZMAAAAA!”

 The gruff white haired man walks onto the stage. His smug grin prompting more screams. There was a specific crowd across the way who held up skull towels and merchandise. Their heads were all an array of blue and pink. They were chanting “go boss” over and over again.

 “AND NOW IN CORNER TWO WE HAVE A REQUEST. HE’S ASKED FOR YOU TO WATCH HIM VERY CAREFULLY. IT’S KIAWEEE!”

 Kiawe rushes in and begins dancing with his Marowak. The crowd ooh’s and ahh’s at his exhibition. He ends with 3 very dramatic poses. “BURN EVERYONE DOWN!” the fangirls chant. Moon covers her mouth to hold back a laugh at their violent cheer.

 “IN CORNER THREE, WE HAVE THE PRINCE OF THE TRAINING SCHOOL: IILIMA!”

He simply walks on. Stopping in the middle to smile and wave. That was enough to make the entire crowd squeal.

 “And now, everyone, I’m honored to announce the UNDEFEATED Champion. He’s back to keep his title alive this year. EVERYONE GIVE IT UP FOR: GLADIONNNN”

 Moon nearly chokes. What she thought was a loud crowd before increased tenfold. People from all corners were screaming his name and holding up black and red banners as he walked in; stoic face and all.

“THE PRESIDENT?!” She looks at Hau’s knowing face. An ‘ _I told you so’_ leaves his mouth right before the bell rings to announce the start.

* * *

Hau tried his best to explain the rules of Battle Royal, but Moon honestly brushed it all off. His words about points, knockouts, and scoring didn’t settle in meant little to her as she watched on. Everyone on that field had their own style, own technique, and own strategy, but even Moon, with her minimal knowledge, knew that the Aether President was a force to be reckoned with.

Her eyes couldn’t move from the scene unfolding before her and Moon reacted in two ways specifically.

The first was with a racing mind.  

  _Is this where he runs off to during work?_ _Plausible, but it seemed to be an active night activity, not a 9-5 one._

_Is this how Type: Null got injured?_

 She pauses for a second to just observe. The battling wasn’t even dangerous. It was controlled and he for sure wasn’t reckless. Every move and target he had was calculated. _Then how?_

_Where was Type: Null anyways?_

His wound had been completely healed as of their last meeting, yet the synthetic Pokemon was nowhere to be seen on the field.

The second reaction was involuntary: her heart was racing.

 She wanted to attribute it to the atmosphere. The hype, the adrenaline, it’s everything she remembered and more. Her heart used to race before and during a battle, but it couldn’t be this. Moon left those days behind. Battling up until this moment had made her feel sick. It made her feel ashamed and guilty, but she was incapable of turning her eyes away.

 She grew eerily silent. Her furrowed eyebrows showing that she was thinking. _Why am I not reacting like usual?_

 She looked on and noticed that Gladion’s usual serious expression was less angry and more focused. He actually seemed like he was enjoying himself. His small smile, his gleaming emerald eyes, and his determination were evident in his commands.

 This is 100% his element.

 She smiles, lowkey wondering what it would be like to be on the field when it hit her: **_she was watching Gladion, not the battle._**

  _Oh no._

 “THE FINAL POINT GOES TO GLADIONNNNNNN!”

 The people all around her stand in a rush, their cheers roared, some of them were even crying tears of joy, but Moon felt herself glued to her seat.

Her hands heavily come together to clap, unable to shake off the unease. Unable to calm her heart down.

A tiny smirk appears on Gladion’s face as he recalls his Crobat and glances around the stadium. Hau jumps up and down excitedly trying to capture his attention. “Over here, over here!” He begins screaming in an attempt to be noticed over the hundreds of other fans. It was easily done, they were the closest seats to the floor. Gladion gives a subtle head nod acknowledging his friend, but his eyes widen ever so slightly at the sight of her.

Moon’s the one who uncharacteristically looks down in response. _What am I doing?_

 “You okay, Moon?” Hau seemed concerned, finally noticing her prolonged silence.

 She nods and stiffly stands up to his surprise. She takes his hand for a handshake and begins rambling. “Yes. Thank you for inviting me, this was fun, but it’s getting late I should go before we” she gestures quickly towards the blonde’s direction “see each other. It’ll be weird for him to see his employee  and I don’t want to make him uncomfo—”

 “What are **you** doing here?” Gladion undoubtedly asks from behind her. _Shit._ Moon grimaces before turning around to meet his cold gaze.

“Mr. President, this is _unexpected_.”

 Gladion scowls. “Drop the formalities, we aren’t at Aether.”

 Moon was taken aback, but Hau unexpectedly drops an arm around Moon’s shoulders. He clearly didn’t notice the tension or actively decided to ignore it.

_Lucky._

“So what did you think Moon?” Hau beams. “There’s more to your boss than meets the eye, huh?”

 Gladion tsks and looks away from the two. The floor behind him was being cleared for the final rounds of the evening.

 Moon lifts his arm off her. For a few seconds she neither confirms or denies his statement, but Hau looks at her expectantly.

 “All of this was…” Moon pauses and gazes at the blonde, not expecting for him to look back at her. Her stomach flip-flops. “Interesting.”

 Hau pumps a fist in victory. “Woo! Success! I made Moon’s first experience of Battle Royal the best. You know maybe you should try it, when it’s not finals of course. Gladion could teach you.” He elbows the blonde roughly. Gladion only grumbles.

 Moon takes a step back and shakes her head furiously. “That won’t be needed” Moon she says harshly, a faint blush on her cheeks. Gladion looks at her curiously. Hau lets out a small whine, followed by a pout.

 “Aww, but why?”

 Her eyes dart around the room looking for an excuse, any excuse. Her eyes focus in on the clock.

“I don’t like being a burden.” She begins while taking a small step backwards.

“And I know how busy he truly is.” Another step, a look back at the clock, a small gasp.

“And, well, look at the time. Busy work day tomorrow, got to go” Moon was now at a reasonable distance away from the two. “Thank you again, and goodbye Hau, Pres–er–Gladion.”

 Moon scurries away as fast as she can.

* * *

The cold air hits Moon’s flushed face, the silence outside was deafening. The only thing keeping Moon company was the thumping of heart and the slowing pace of her breathing. Both serving as reminders of her newfound realizations.

 How could she, of all people, be gaining some sort of _interest_  in a possible suspect? She was asking for a death sentence and an imminent removal at this point. 

A sigh leaves her lips, her heart finally calming down. “It really is getting late” Moon murmurs as she pats her pocket for her ride pager. There was nothing.

 She frantically pats all four of her pockets before remembering her hasty leave from home. She rode the boat to Akala while empty handed. Her hand rubs against her face in irritation. The walk back to Heahea was a short one, but one still riddled with wild Pokemon.

“You know I didn’t peg you for the type to run away from a challenge.”

Moon looks behind her and sees Gladion approaching, Hau was nowhere in sight. Her eyes narrow at his accusation. This may be the guy that was making her heart race, but no one, not even he, could tarnish her pride.  

Moon crosses her arms. “I’m not.”

“I also thought you would be better at it. You haven’t left the premises.” He gives her a quick knowing look.

Moon opens her mouth to protest, but she really had no comeback for once. She looks away. “I was getting to it…”

 He only hums in response, clearly not believing her. She mulls over what to say next.

 “Why’d you follow me out? Don’t you have to be in there?”

 “You said you had work tomorrow. Tomorrow is Saturday. You know very well I will repeat what we told you about working unapproved hours.” Gladion may be serious, but for once his voice sounded playful. 

“I won’t show up against your orders. _Mr. President._ ” Moon sasses. A small smirk grows on Gladion’s lips and it was a sight Moon never thought she would see in reaction to something she said.

 “Let’s get you back to Heahea now shall we?” He begins walking towards Route 6.

“I can get home safely on my own” Moon replies, but her footsteps catching up to his, gave away the actual need.

He lets out a small laugh. “Oh, _I don’t doubt that at all_ , but you” he looks at her through his peripherals “also have no Pokemon.”

A gasp. “How…”

He sticks his hands into his pockets and shrugs. “Most trainers try any form of battling at least once and you rejected it outright.”

Moon’s silence speaks volumes, but Gladion doesn’t pry. It’s a reaction she wasn’t used to.

“I haven’t been a trainer for a while now…” she whispers.

“You don’t have to share if you don’t want to.” Gladion cuts in. “Everyone has their demons.”

 Moon **really** wasn’t used to this reaction, her silence now out of surprise. Gladion didn’t seem to mind the quiet as they continued their trek. No wild Pokemon were appearing anyways.

“It was an accident during a battle with Team Rocket. Decidueye, died in my arms and I all I could do was hold him…” Moon begins, clearly breaking every mantra she had learned back at headquarters about protecting her identity. Was it him? Was it her? 

 Regardless, she didn’t care.

“Was this before…”

“I changed careers? Yes.” Her voice trails off, her eyes gaze down at her feet now dragging across the floor. She dropped pharmaceuticals. She became a vet. She joined the International Police to prevent more accidents caused by evil organizations.

 She could never see battling the same way again. Guilt consumed her daily.

“You blame yourself don’t you?”

 Gladion had stopped walking and was staring right at her. And just through that simple act Moon felt like Gladion could read all her thoughts and feelings about the subject.

“That’s why you reacted to Type: Null the way you did. You don’t want anyone to go through the same pain; Pokemon and trainer.”

_Right on the mark._

“I know it doesn’t mean much coming from me, but you can’t blame yourself for an accident caused by some messed up people. It took me a while to learn that myself.”

 Moon wasn’t used to the lack of prying. Moon wasn’t used to the keen observations. Moon wasn’t used to the reassurance.

 She had never gotten any of that before, but right when she was about to open her mouth to respond she notices clouds begin to roll in. A large amount of Pikipek soon fly out from the trees around them.

“What can they be reacting to? It’s night time.” Moon asks, but Gladion visibly stiffens. “It’s time for you to leave this Island.”

“What? Wh–”

A large boom forces a yelp out of Moon, but the blinding light stuns the both of them.

 Moon squints her eyes and looks upwards. There it was, the ultra wormhole: a rippling, blue, vortex-shaped tear in the sky that filled Moon with absolute dread.

She was unprepared, with no backup, unable to contact anyone.

Gladion reaches for a Pokeball and sends out the Pokemon that was missing in action earlier. “Null, remember what happened last time? Don’t you dare try to protect me again. Let’s get the job done correctly this time.”

The Pokemon responds with a low growl, hitting a defensive stance ready to take on whatever was going to appear.

“Ultrabeast hunter…” the words leave Moon’s lips without a second thought. She covers her mouth with her hands, she as a normal employee wouldn’t know that. Her sentence prompts a hasty reaction out of the President.

 “WHAT?”

“Jrrr-rrr-rrr” comes from above them. A hoard of white jellyfish like Pokemon begin to descend from the sky towards the two of them.

 He dismisses her small comment and throws her one of his Pokeballs. “You either leave, or you help out.” His voice was urgent and slightly panicked, but Moon found herself unable to think clearly. She looks down at the item and clenches her hand around it. “You work for Lusamine…”

“What are you going on about?” Gladion asks desperately trying to focus on their surroundings and what Moon was saying.

“You as President of Aether work for Lusamine!” The bitterness could be heard in every word that left her mouth. She drops the Pokeball consequently releasing his Crobat.

“Listen, I don’t know what you’ve heard but we kinda have a situation in front of us” he exclaims, but it fell on deaf ears as she shakes her head and tries to back up.

Type: Null lets out a bark grabbing Gladion’s attention once more. He pulls out a stack of disks, throwing a blue one towards the Pokemon. “Null use multi-attack! Crobat acrobatics!”

 The Pokemon were off to attack the mysterious creature, many of which disappearing on contact in one go. The cries from the jellyfish surround the area and Moon found herself rooted to the ground. She should’ve run. She should’ve found a way to get Rotom here.

 It couldn’t have been more than two minutes when the last cries could be heard. The wormhole shutting tight.  Gladion calls in his Pokemon.

 It wasn’t even a second later when Moon hastly walks up to Gladion and stabs a finger on his chest. Her heart was beating hard, and not because of infatuation. Her glare was fiery, angry, and ready to destroy his very being. “ ** _Why the hell are you working for Lusamine? Is this what comes with the Presidency title? Gladion._** ”

 He tsks and grabs a hold of her hand. “I don’t know what you’re going on about.”

“Type: Null was created to hunt down creatures like that!” Moon screams, her free hand pointing up to where the wormhole was earlier.

His eyes narrow. “How would someone like you know this?”

Her throat goes dry, she couldn’t blow her cover. “And for your information I stole Type: Null from mother in order to stop her myself.”

 Moon’s eyes widen.

“Mother…?”

“AGENT MOON!”

 “Agent?” Gladion repeats, his grip loosening. The color drains out of her face, dread filling every fiber of Moon’s being.

But before she could say anything a pair of arms pull her away. In between her and Gladion now stood  a worried Rotom and exasperated Sun ready for anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> once upon a time one of you lovely readers told me to sleep. I'll listen T__T
> 
> come follow & talk to me at pkmntrashcan.tumblr.com!!


	6. Tough Conversations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So 6 months ago I got stuck. I couldn’t get myself to continue because I didn’t know how to write Sun as a non-sibling character…welp I figured that out and ended up with THIS super dialogue-y chapter, but it was needed to move the plot forward.
> 
> So hi. I’m back and even though I’m worried no one will read this story anymore I’m still gonna work on it. I’ve scheduled the fic writing to be my destressor from studying now that I don’t have dance* HAHAA.

The argument ceased; Moon and Gladion were completely dumbstruck and Sun felt it was up to him to fill in the silence. **  
**

He smirks as he snaps his fingers. The silent two look up and see him beckoning the Pokemon towards him.  “You two wait here. Rotom, come with me to scan the area” he demands before walking away from them.

Rotom unwillingly follows along, the annoyed look on his face not going unnoticed by Moon. She clenches her jaw as she watches Sun disappear into the route.

Moon kicks a small pebble on the ground with a small groan. “Shit…” Moon murmurs under her breath as soon as she thinks he’s out of hearing range. The blonde had no verbal reaction, but Type: Null sensed his trainer’s unease and let out a low growl in the direction of the stranger.

“Moon…what the fuck is going on?” Gladion says in a stressed, but hushed tone.“Who the hell is he?!”

“My supervisor” Moon mumbles without a moment’s hesitation.

Gladion’s eyebrows furrow. “I swear in Arceus’ name  what kind of vague answer is tha–”

“You’re not the only one with questions here, President” Moon spits out, his raised eyebrows indicate his surprise.

It was true. They both had questions to ask and answers to give, but as soon as the sentence left her lips she regretted it.

Her facial expression grows sullen, unsure if she should apologize. He shifts his gaze away from her and towards the newcomer and Rotom. He doesn’t utter a word, his face unreadable as always.

A heavy silence falls between the two, giving Moon just enough time to really absorb what happened.

**She was angry.**

She was led around like a stray Mareep in search for the right clues for weeks. And it took weeks of nothing for everything to turn into a shitshow at the very moment something finally happened.

A moment she wasn’t prepared for.

This is exactly what Rotom advised against with her hasty judgement.

**She was worried.**

The egotistically, money fanatic, never serious top agent of the International Police finally showed up.

She knew Looker had to vouch for a her, a newbie, to take a mission as big as this, but the condition was to have someone with years of experience ready at any second to take over or to have her back.

Sun, however, wasn’t one to be casted into the shadows; he wanted to be the Agent with this mission under his belt and his belt only.

Moon basically handed it over to him.

**And last, but not least, she felt betrayed.**

Her mind stops.

Did she really have a right to feel betrayed?

Gladion owed her nothing.

It was her job to determine where he stood. It was her own fault for messing up.

She looks over at him and feels her heart pick up in pace, but before she could determine why Rotom rushes back and forces himself into her view.

“Agent. Agent. Agent!!! Are youzzz okay, Agent? You left in a such a rush, you could’ve been killed. Zzzt” his voice was laced with concern, something Moon never thought she would see or hear out of the Pokemon.

She stares at Rotom with wide eyes for a second, before realizing she needed to answer. “Sorry I messed up, Rotom” she whispers only to have a gasp pull her attention away.

_Clap. Clap. Clap._

Sun walks towards them his claps ceasing as he reached Moon and Gladion. He brings a hand to his heart, seemingly touched.

“I never thought I would see the day a Rotomdex would worry over his partner.”

Rotom rolls his eyes, an action Moon wanted to copy.

“But you, Moon! You do have a heart somewhere hidden in that cold, calculating exterior of yours” he wipes an imaginary tear away.

Moon holds back the urge to smack him, not wanting to add assault to her list of ‘reasons why she’s fired.’

Sun reaches over to touch her shoulder. “Will you ever be that kind to me?”

**That’s it.**

“Fuck off” Moon mutters as she slaps his hand away.

He gives her that annoying grin once more. “Ah, there you are.” He looks at Gladion who was just watching everything unfold. “Has she been treating you this poorly too?”

Moon clicks her tongue, knowing very well he only does things to provoke her.

“Anyways you two, the area is clear. And I don’t get paid enough to care so I’m not going ask why you two were at each other’s throats.”

He glances at Gladion. “Besides I’m sure Moonie over here will fill everyone in on the details once we all get back to her place.”

Gladion’s emotionless face suddenly sparks up. “What do you mean  ** _we_**?”

Sun looks at him curiously. “We as in–wait. O-Oh. OH.”  He turns to gawk at Moon. “You haven’t told him yet, huh Rookie?”

Moon swallows the lump in her throat. “No, Agent.”

Gladion looks at Moon. “Tell me what, Moon?”

Sun chortles. “We’ll talk in private. Come along you two.”

  
Sun presses the ride pager and a Charizard soon appears. He jumps on, but when he looks back down to see the other two in the same spot a whine escapes his lips instead. “Come ooooonnnn.”

“I’m not going anywhere until someone explains what exactly is going on here” Gladion says steadily. Type: Null comes to his defense, a low rumbling growl escaping its mouth.

“Fine!” Sun groans as he jumps off the Pokemon. “I’ll let you in on our little secret then, Prez.”

“You see, _Gladion_ ” Sun begins as he approaches the blonde. “Alola has been going through a lot of  _circumstances_. Circumstances bigger than you, bigger than me, bigger than Moon. Circumstances that have led to a lot of trainers and Pokemon being injured.”

“Agent Sun, this isn’t the time or place. Bzzt.” Rotom cries out, but it falls on deaf ears.

The idiot was going to blurt everything out.

And Moon didn’t like that one bit.

“To deal with big circumstances you need big organizations. Big organizations need people. People like me and Moon.”

He gives Gladion one final smirk. “Moon and I are both—”

“Gladion” Moon says sternly, interrupting Sun. Gladion’s green eyes shift to her clear gray ones. If she was going to lose her job to Sun. She would at least finish everything off on her terms and that meant following the protocol Sun never did.

“You have to come.” A deep breath in. “This is an order from the International Police.”

* * *

To say Gladion was shocked was an understatement

The International Police was something you only really heard about in stories. A mysterious force who works in the shadows trying to capture villains who wreck havoc. No one really knew much about them, and those who did were probably sworn to secrecy.

It wouldn’t be a surprise if he didn’t believe them.

They were trained to deal with civilians who didn’t.

But what he did was surprising. He muttered a quick “fine” and recalled Type: Null.

He brushed past Moon and followed Sun.

Moon wanted to say more. She wanted to explain. She wanted to understand. She wanted to apologize, tell him she didn’t mean what she said, but the words got caught in her throat. She still didn’t really know where he stood.

When they arrive they get off their Charizards and approach the front porch. She takes out her key and hesitates.

She glances over at Sun, who was still salty about her stealing away the reveal. “Anabel and Looker are here aren’t they?”

He scoffs, not answering her question, as she unlocks the door to reveal that her assumptions were right.

Looker and Anabel quickly snap their heads to the entrance. Looker gives everyone an empathetic smile, but Anabel quickly loses her calm exterior and slams her hand down.

“All of you seated. NOW.”

Moon holds back a sigh. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

“So let me get all of this straight” Anabel takes a deep breath in. “First of all you, Agent Moon, run off after an argument with Rotom.”

Moon opens her mouth to explain that it wasn’t an argument, but realizes that would only fuel Anabel more. She nods her head silently.

“Then you and the President of Aether end up being attacked by Ultrabeasts, almost getting yourself killed because you had no way to reach headquarters or Rotom!  **YOU AREN’T ACCOMPANIED BY A POKEMON, AGENT. YOU SHOULD KNOW BETTER THAN THIS**!”

She looks at Moon with big worried eyes. Her voice may have been angry, but the concern was evident.

“You messed up, Rookie” Sun whispers, the snarky tone in his voice unmistakable.

Anabel quickly throws daggers at him. “Agent Sun do you have something you want to add?”

He quickly closes his mouth.

“Good, because don’t think you’re off the hook for not being at the attack site on time, Agent. The command was sent out as soon as Moon left the premises. And you’re the reason her cover was blown to a civilian!!”

He backs down and slumps in his seat. He may have been higher up than Moon, but no one messes with Anabel when she was angry.

She takes another breath in, as she quickly pulls out her chair and plops into it. She takes a sip of water, while moving her hand vaguely towards Looker. She said her part, now it was his turn.

“Listen. Agent Moon, Anabel was just worried for your well-being. You were sent on our behalf and after enough years on the force we don’t want to lose more good people.”

Moon nods silently again.

Looker glances over to Gladion, who had been sitting quietly during Anabel’s tirade. He couldn’t help but to wonder if his silence was out of politeness or shock.

Maybe a little of both.

“But I’m not here to deal with you or Sun.” Looker says sternly before fully focusing on Gladion. “President, I want to make it clear. These are not the circumstances we would usually welcome someone with” Looker says seriously, gaining the attention of the blonde.

He says nothing like expected.

Looker lifts a finger. “Rotom, come here” he beckons. Rotom buzzes over, a confused facial expression showing up on his screen.

“Pull up the Alola Files.”

“But detective. Bzzt. Those are classif—“

“I think I know what’s classified or not, Rotom” Looker says with a quick jest. Rotom rolls its eyes and pulls up the request on his screen.

“We’ve been investigating Alola and Aether with the help of Moon and intel in your very own company, President.” Looker scrolls through stopping on the Aether section.

Gladion’s eyes widen.

“Yes, this is how Agent Moon gained access to information” Looker responds to Gladion’s unasked question.  “And based on Moon’s observations as of yet, she didn’t find you a threat or to be working under Lusamine…however…” Looker quickly looks at Moon. She was watching Gladion’s reaction.

“It seems Agent Moon had found out a new tidbit of information. Sun reported an argument was happening when he walked in on you two.”

Gladion lets out a huff of air. “If you think I’m working for Lusamine you’re wrong, Detective.”

Looker gives him a knowing smile.

“That’s the answer I was hoping to hear.”

He taps a button on Rotom causing him to start recording. “We are going to need to hear how you are involved, **however**.”

“And remember we are the police so if you lie you’re in trouble” Sun murmurs against his elbow propped hand. Annabel throws him another intense glare.

Gladion takes a deep breath in his hands coming to his face. When he exhales his eyebrows furrow.

“I think everyone needs to be made aware that Lusamine is my mother.”

Anabel’s eyebrows shoot up.

Sun chokes on air. “WHaT??”

His hand lands on Moon’s shoulder, much to her annoyance. She shoves him off, but notes him mouthing “ _is that why you were fighting?!_ ” but Moon doesn’t give him an answer.

Her attention was fully on Gladion.

“Continue” Looker prompts.

“It’s pretty easy to assume I was working with her by becoming the next President of the very original headquarters of her… _research._ ” He says this calmly, clearly addressing the Donphan in the room first.

“I snuck into the secret labs the evening before she disappeared. The experimentations, the wormholes, the Ultrabeasts. The files were all there.”  He quickly pushes his chair back to stand and slams his hand down on the table. “It was **all**  there! All of it happening under our noses. And we were  ** _idiots_**  to have never seen it!”

Moon felt her heart clench.

_He was blaming himself._

He quickly pulls back as he runs his hands through his hair. The frustration was evident in his actions.

He paces for a moment before looking over his shoulder.

“Down in the labs I found a Pokemon. Type:Null, a Pokemon engineered to hunt down Ultrabeasts. I’m assuming its with these Pokemon that my mother captured the beasts and generated their power.”

Looker’s face grows grim. “How many of these Pokemon are out there?”

Gladion finds himself crossed armed, leaning against a nearby wall. “I managed to steal two. The third was missing.”

“What have you been doing with these Pokemon these past few weeks then?” Anabel asks.

A dejected sigh escapes his lips. “I’ve been hunting down the beasts, but more are spawning now than ever.”

“ _Lusamine is getting stronger_ ” Moon whispers as realization hits everyone. The sinking feeling in everyone’s stomach grows.

Looker taps on Rotom. A small beep indicates the end of the recording.

Rotom hovers for a quick second before floating towards Moon.

They share a look.

This was their last moment together as partners.

And with that the room falls silent to everyone’s buzzing thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *So what got me caught up for 6 months? L I F E.
> 
> In the summer I was in competition season where my team came in dead last in finals (hAH). My job had its summer program. I traveled to Europe and I started a new year with new staff and students.
> 
> Then the school year happened where we have to have hella meetings and office hours for our caseload, (but my boss is running two programs now so it’s a lot more independent work on my behalf). Then my dance team won first place in this big Bay Area competition so we had performances lined up for 3 months instead our usual time off and the season ended with us going to New York.
> 
> ONLY FOR ME TO QUIT said team because of toxicity. So I had to organize my plans for the f u t u r e by arranging study time for the dreaded GRE. I am currently applying to internships, studying, and I might potentially move back to Los Angeles cause my job is expanding there v soon.
> 
> All of THIS while writing other one shots and things with ‘less commitment’. Those were fun though so /shrugs./ I actually do have another fic planned in response to a request so that might come out before chapter 7 :)


	7. Heart to Heart

 

With looming revelation of Lusamine’s increasing strength, Moon knew that the mission was switching over to a new phase; except this time, it was moving forward without her. **  
**

Moon’s chair scrapes the plywood floors as she pushes herself out of it. Her eyes downcast as she places her hands on the edge of the table; a small sense of stability in this mess. Everyone gazes at her, waiting for her to fill in the silence.

“We can’t just sit here like Psyducks,” Moon says quietly, her voice slightly shaking. She knew what was coming next, her knuckles now turning white as she squeezed the table harder.

“I know the team is changing, but I think we all know Sun can handle this mission better than anyone in the force.” That was a sentence she hoped she would never have to say, but with a quick release of the table and the lift of her eyes she looked at everyone with clear eyes and a forced smile.

_This was no time for a self-pity party._

“So instead of mulling over all the what-ifs, please stay and rest here. It’s the most I can do,” her shoulders slump as her smile falters ever so slightly. “It’s been a long day…” She looks away from the crowd and makes her way across the small room to the door. She reaches for the doorknob. “I’ll go ask the front desk for more blankets and pil---”

“There’s no need for that,” Looker interrupts, his voice forcing Moon to listen even if she wouldn’t turn back to face them. She couldn’t, she didn’t want to seem weak.

“We’re not letting you go from the force, Agent.”

“WHAT?” Sun and Rotom properly react by screaming out, the questions flowing out of their mouths while Moon stood there in stunned silence.

It took her a second to let her hand drop from the doorknob, another to let her senses come rushing back to her, and the last one to turn to face the group once again.

Sun was not having it.

“How can you be keeping her on the force? YOU HAVE ME!” His frustrated groans were loud, as he began pacing with his arms crossed. A small pout found its place on his lips.

“Detectives, not that I’m not happy with your choice, but what is the meaning of this, Bzzt?”

Leave it Rotom to be the most sensible out of the group. Moon holds her breath as she waits for Lookers response.

“It’s unorthodox, that I know...” Looker clasps his hands together on the table, probably his own mechanism to stay calm “Moon learned the ins and outs, it wouldn’t make sense to drop Sun in with no knowledge. Except this time we hope we can do this without any major hiccups.”

“Yes, of course.” Moon rapidly responds, fully accepting the second chance she had been given. “Thank you, Detectives.”

Looker shakes his head, brushing off her premature gratitude, there was a lot more to say. “We have a proposition for phase 3 of this mission...”

Moon’s mind races across all the possible scenarios. The most probable was assigning Sun with her, an unfavorable, but expected team combination.

“President Gladion, we are asking for your cooperation.”

_She didn’t see that coming._

Gladion looks at Looker as if he was an Ultrabeast himself, eyes blown wide. 

“I know this may seem strange, but you’ve been actively hunting the Beasts down. You may be able to lay out a pattern, help us find a way to your moth--”

“No.”

Gladion’s voice was unwavering.

If everyone was speechless up until this point, they were all unable to breathe now.

“President we beg of you please reconsider” Looker interjects, but Gladion only stands up instead of listening to the pleas.

“This is a mission I started on my own and I’m going to finish it on my own.”

That was not the right answer.

Anabel lets out a haughty laugh in response, Gladion’s head quickly turning towards her. She was no longer peaceful and calm, no, this was the Anabel hardened by years on the force.

“This is your chance, President” an unsettling smirk grows on her face. “Your chance to finish your ‘mission’ as you call it.” Her eyes now bore into Gladion’s. It was honestly amazing how he was still standing tall under them.

“Is it pride? Self-righteousness?” Anabel’s callous way of speaking made everyone in the room feel small.

Gladion’s lips form a thin line, unable to formulate a proper response.

Anabel scoffs at how quickly he was to stay quiet. “Or is it your vendetta?. Unfinished business, if that’s what you would prefer to call it, Gladion?”

She places her chin in the palm of her hand while her free hand holds up two slender fingers.

“In the end you only have two choices: either you help us out and end this once and for all, or we send you back on your ‘solo trek’, where if you end up in our way we’ll do everything in our power to make sure our agents come back alive and our mission is complete.”

Anabel didn’t play games, she dominated them. And in this current game, shivers were being sent down everyone’s spine and threats were anything but empty.

“So what’s it going to be?”

The question hangs heavily in the air.

Gladion takes a deep breath in.

He exhales.

“What do I have to do?”

Her furrowed eyebrow is quickly replaced with her more neutral look; now reassured that their mission could end in anything, but failure. “We want you to work with Agent Moon.”

Sun reacts loudly again making him stumble on the chair he was previously seated in. “WHY IS HE WITH HER?”

Moon rolls her eyes, unsure of why Sun was complaining about that. She finally pulls herself away from the door and approaches the table everyone was seated at.

“She still has a guise as an Aether employee, Sun. Having these two together would be the least suspicious of our choices,” Anabel says as she chooses to ignore the rest of Sun’s complaints “but, there is one catch to all of this. Moon’s role and Gladion’s.”

“I assure you Detective I will do everything in my power to make sure things go smoothly” Moon says confidently, but when Anabel gives her a concerned look her stomach sinks at the possible ultimatum.

“We can’t have your life be at risk anymore, Agent.” She pulls out a single Pokeball and places it in the middle of the table.

“You’re going to have to let Gladion pull you back into Pokemon battling.”

Her heart clenches as she stares at the sole Pokeball. She had the power to say no, she could walk out right now and leave behind the International Police, leave Alola for good, return to her life--

No.

She had nothing to return to.

She begins to reach forward, accepting her fate, when Gladion grabs the Pokeball instead.

“If Moon is to train with me I’ll be giving her a Pokemon instead” he hands the object back to Anabel who had a shocked, albeit amused look on her face.

“As long as she’s battle ready, it doesn’t matter to me what she uses.”

Moon looks at Gladion, her heart clenching for reasons she still hadn’t had a chance to decipher.

They were partners now, she had to continue trusting him.

“Deal.”

* * *

It took them well into the night discussing how the rest of the operation was going to go down.

Gladion and Moon were to stay low at the Aether Foundation as the sifted through employees who still had ties to Lusamine. Gladion already knew a few of who would let information slip with the proper incentive.

This was in addition to training, and sending signals out of Ultrabeast sightings and possible pop-ups to the rest of the force.

Sun complained the entire time their task was explained. His whines focusing on how he came out to Alola for naught, how he should be placed with Moon, but Looker assured him he had a bigger role to play.

He was to contact the Kahunas and Trial Captains. Alert them to halt all trial activities, it was getting too dangerous to pass out crystals with the increase of injured trainers and Pokemon. With their help they would go on Ultrabeast searches, following the signals from Gladion and Moon.

Luckily for him Gladion had alerted Hau that day Moon first came to Alola. They’ve been waiting for a signal to defend their region as a whole.

Once Moon was ready, she and Gladion would join them on the field. And if things went according to plan Lusamine’s location would be known by then.

Everything was overwhelming to say the least, but as the night drew on everyone’s fatigue hit.

Moon offered her bed and couch to Looker and Anabel. Their slumber came fast; regional travel would do that to you.

Sun knocked out on the floor once he heard he had something to do.

Rotom glanced at Moon and Gladion who were wide awake. His eyes were half closed as he floats up to Moon.

“Go to sleep you two, tomorrow is a big day. Bzzt” Rotom murmurs before he hovers over to a table, leaves the dex, and enters his Pokeball.

Moon gives the Pokemon a small smile, before turning around to see Gladion’s emerald eyes staring right at her.

“We need to talk,” his voice was barely above a whisper, she glances around at all the sleeping bodies before silently nodding. She grabs two water bottles off the table, and beckons him to follow her outside to the overlook.

* * *

Moon’s motel on Akala Island was anything but luxurious. It was plain, humble, but stable, something she came to appreciate after years of moving around.

7 regions out of 7.

A 100% completion rate of living on different lands; seeing different people, pokemon, and views, but she had to hand it to Alola:  It had one of the most beautiful nights she had ever seen.

The sky was clear as the ocean glistened under the moonlight. The salty sea filled the air around them as the sounds of crashing waves and occasional rustle of grass accompanied their contemplative silence.

If only all of this was under different circumstances.

She sees Gladion in her peripherals let out a sigh.

“Two teams searching for the same person...” he murmurs. The events of today were probably sinking in.

Moon passes a water bottle to him. “I’m sorry about all of that. Detective Anabel can be quite…”

“Convincing?” Gladion interjects, a half-hearted chuckle escaping him.

“Yeah...that’s one way to put it,” Moon says with a quick shrug as she opens her water bottle and takes a sip. Gladion stares down at his own bottle, his fingers fidgeting with it slightly.

“The mysterious International Police…” he looks at Moon with pure curiosity.  “Do they always drag civilians into their cases?”

Moon puts down her bottle slowly as she looks back at him.

Alola had a lot of green in its scenery, but now that it was dark the green of his eyes reflected the moon beautifully.

She couldn’t help but think it was the best green in this entire region.

Gladion lifts an eyebrow at the lack of her response.

“Um..yeah,” she pulls her gaze away hurriedly focusing on the ocean in front of her “that’s how most of us end up on the force…”

An awkward silence falls between them.

Moon’s mind begins to pester her. She had to bring up the argument, she had to ignore his piercing gaze.

“I hoped you would agree you know?” Moon quietly begins, already knowing Gladion wouldn’t dare to interrupt her. “The whole time at Aether, I trusted you so when the attack happened I couldn’t help but to think I made a mistake,” a small smile pulls at the corner of her lips, “I’m glad it wasn’t.”

Gladion runs a hand through his hair, “you shouldn’t trust me, Moon.”

Moon rolls her eyes, unamused at his consistent attempt of making himself the villain.  “Why? Cause you’re her son? Cause you want to do this alone?”

“No it’s just—”

Moon doesn’t let him continue. “Just cause you’re related or the fact that you didn’t see it coming doesn’t mean you have to do this on your own, you know?” Her voice was laced with annoyance. She didn’t want to snap, but the guy had it more out for himself than anyone else. “A friend once told me you can’t blame yourself for an accident caused by some messed up people, I took that to heart, maybe you should too.”

The conversation from a few hours ago still fresh in his mind pulls a weak smile to his face, but Moon doesn’t see this. She refuses to look at him with glassy eyes.

Anabel had told her before that it was her emotions that would get her in trouble one day. She knew this was her nice way of saying that if she became too attached to anything it would get her killed during a mission.

“Sorry--I--it’s just today has been--and you--and me...I shouldn’t be yelling at you after--”

“Stop. I should be the one apologizing,” His voice stops her rambling. “You had a job to do, unlike me. I was just selfishly trying to make things right. Maybe to just prove that I was capable; to prove that I was strong enough.” He twists off the cap of the bottle he had been fidgeting with and takes a swig of the water. “Your friend has a point, though it is hard to accept. Maybe he’s a masochist, you sure you can trust him?”

And that’s when Moon laughs, genuinely, at his dumb joke. But when his laugh joins hers in a synchronized rhythm it makes everything click into place. As if the fate of a region wasn’t in their hands and everything was seemingly right for a millisecond.

One small happy moment in midst the turmoil, but the Alola breeze brings them back to reality.

Moon quickly regrets not bringing a jacket with her.

Alola was beautiful, but its weather was harsh and unkind. Too hot during the day, too cold during the night.

She pulls in her legs closer, hugging them to keep down the trembling.

“So what are we going to d--” Moon stops her sentence when she feels a heavy fabric drape her shoulders.

She gives Gladion a confused look, but he only responds with a smirk.

“Put it on correctly. You’re cold aren’t you?”

How was she supposed to say yes when her face was now heating up. She whispers a quiet “thank you” as she pulls the fabric over her head. It was too big for her, but she couldn’t complain. It was soft and warm, like the smile he was giving her now.

“So what’s the truth about you, anyways?”

“Huh?” Moon asks with a puzzled expression.

“The. Truth. About. You,” he says in a staccato. “If we’re going to be partners I’m going to need to know a little about you, Agent.”

Moon scoffs. “There’s not much to know about me.”

“I mean you’re right…”

Moon pouts at his response.

“What?” his hands come out as if he was surrendering. “I read your file after you got hired!”

“Har har. Jokes on you, President,” Moon sticks out her tongue playfully, “my file is comprised of a bunch of things. Both fact and fiction,” she says this with a little too much pride as she gets closer to him.

He takes it a notch up when he also leans in, cutting her off from her tirade. His voice barely above a whisper, “humor me then.”

She fights back the squeal that bubbles up in her chest as she backs away; not wanting him to see the effect he had on her.

He laughs again.

A sound Moon was learning to enjoy all too much.

“What do you want to know?” She asks meekly. She couldn’t help but to be scared that he would ask her how she joined the force, or why she was continually triggered by battling even if she had to be surrounded by it.

“I just want to know if the Moon working for the International Police is the same Moon that was working at Aether.”

“Kinda. I’m more panic and less secrets. I still love poison Pokemon and my charm? All a ruse,” she gives him a cheeky grin. “If you want real answers you’re going to have to ask a more straightforward question than that.”

Gladion tsks. “Fine, where are you from cause I know it’s definitely not from here.” He eyes his jacket that was a size too big on the girl.

Moon doesn’t know why it’s the simple question that catches her off guard.

“Um...Kanto, originally.”

Gladion quirks an eyebrow.

“When I started training I had a Pokemon from Alola then--” Moon pauses, omitting the repeated details of her starter.  “My family moved. It was Unova, then Hoenn, Johto, Sinnoh and finally Kalos. That’s why you’ll see it on my file.”

“So you being a doctor…” he begins when Moon interjects.

“This has to be a two-way exchange mister!”

He shrugs. “Hey, I’m just trying to figure out if I have to report you for malpractice!”

“I have a license! Thank you very much.” Moon says with a quick click of her tongue. “I studied and and practiced in Sinnoh before I moved alone to Kalos.”

Gladion extends his legs, leans back ever so slightly, as he closes his eyes. “You have two questions. Shoot.”

“Who are your closest friends?” Moon figured she might as well take her time to really get to know him.

“Probably my sister, Type: Null, and Hau, the Kahuna you met,” he responds without missing a beat.

“Really? The happy guy?” Moon asks in disbelief. “He doesn’t seem to match your aesthetic.” She waves her hand around vaguely gesturing to him and his all black wardrobe.

He didn’t seem bothered by her observation. “Oh trust me, it took me a while to warm up to him. Way too happy, but he’s a good person, and well he better be given that he’s dating my sister.”

Moon bites her lip before asking the next question, hoping it wasn’t too insensitive. “Where’s your sister now?”

Gladion looks at Moon. “You might’ve crossed paths, Lillie’s in Kalos.”

“Has she contacted you at all during this whole mess?” Moon figured they were close, but maybe Gladion was really good at hiding things from her.

Gladion nods. “That’s three questions, and yes, but I told her to not come home and focus on school.”

Moon hums in response as she lifts her water bottle to her lips; it really was just like him to not want to get his sister involved.

“I shouldn’t ask this, but it’s been bothering me,” Gladion says as he watches the waves crash down on the shore below them. “What’s your relationship with Sun?”

Moon chokes and clamps her hands around her mouth as she tries to not spit out the water everywhere. Gladion panics and begins patting her back as her sputtered coughs eventually calm down.

“REALLY? WHY WOULD THAT BE BUGGING YOU?” Moon screeches once she catches her breath.

“I have my reasons,” was his simple response.

“He’s my supervisor and we hate each other,” Moon’s voice is strangely light as she admits this.  

“I’m here cause I wanted no one to go through my pain again. He’s here cause it’s a way to make a quick buck. We have different morales, different experiences, different work ethic,” Moon lets out a disgusted groan.

“But they placed you together anyways?” Gladion asks taken aback by her confession.

“I’m a rookie, he’s a veteran. What can you do?” Moon shrugs, his jacket shifts with the movement on her smaller frame. “I swear he has it out for me sometimes. Maybe it’s sabotage, especially with how he wanted to continue hovering over me in this new phase.” She crosses her arms across her chest with a huff. She hated talking about Sun.

“I think he has other reasons for that besides your theory...and the money…” Gladion murmurs, but his voice trails off.

Moon tilts her head slightly. “What do you mean?”

“It’s nothing,” he says dismissively, ignoring the innocent look on the agent’s face. “My final question of this round: what are your fears?”

Moon lets out an impressed whistle. “Wow, really going deep there aren’t you?”

“Might as well,” he murmurs.

Moon places her chin on her knees, pulling them even closer. “Messing up.”

“That simple?” the surprise was in his tone.

Moon nods. “A lot is resting on things to be a success, right now. Don’t you think?”

Gladion just takes in her answer, she takes it as a signal to continue.

“I guess it’s my turn then; what are your dreams?”

The question stumps the blonde. For a minute or two they’re surrounded by the same silence from earlier, only this time it was more comfortable.

“Is it too simple to say ‘be happy’? To go a day with people I care about without the pressure of death or familial ties?”

The forlorn look on his face pulls on Moon’s heartstrings. The hand closest to her was clenching at the grass beneath them.

She places her hand gently on his, surprisingly causing him to relax. But what was even more surprising was the warmth between them seemed nearly impossible in the breeze.

Gladion’s eyes grow softer, but Moon could tell something was on his mind.

“Moon, I--”

A small beep on Gladion’s wrist prompts them to pull apart. He pushes the button on his watch, a scowl on his lips directed towards the interruption.

Moon giggles. “That’s probably a sign to go to sleep,” Moon says softly. Gladion gets up, before reaching down to help pull her up.

His sweater slouches awkwardly off one her shoulders as she stands, but he unexpectedly steps closer to her. His hands get to work readjusting the way-too large jacket back up in its place.

With him being so close Moon couldn’t help but study his features. He had long eyelashes and a small scar on his cheek. His eyes looked darker in the shadows, and the permanent furrow in his brow was much more subtle up close. His breathing was slow, and she swear she could see a small tint of color on his cheeks.

Moon prayed to Arceus that he couldn’t hear her heart; finally coming to terms with her body’s reaction to the blonde.

Anabel was right; she did get too attached.

He finishes adjusting the jacket and pulls the hood over her head only to catch her staring, but for once she didn’t turn away.

She gives him a small lopsided smile as she extends her pinky finger towards him. “To new beginnings?”

He returns the smile, interlocking his pinky with hers, “I wouldn’t have this any other way.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHHHHHHH. TIME TO MOVE THE PLOT ALONG.
> 
> ALSO...I had to explain where Lillie was eventually, right? ;D
> 
> Pls excuse mistakes, I'm sleepy and just got back from work and just wanted this up. I'll come back and edit tomorrow ;__;.
> 
> Anyways come talk to me at pkmntrashcan.tumblr.com :)


	8. Facing Fears & Reality

_ “Agent Moon do you remember what you learned in training?” Anabel suddenly asks from utop the Charizard.  _

_ Moon, not wanting to mess up again, starts thinking deeply about what answer Anabel wanted to hear. Protect your identity no matter what? The IP picks missions based on human and Pokemon protection? Don’t use violence and force unless necessary? _

_ But the beat that passes makes Anabel’s lips form into a thin line, before she answers her own question. _

_ “Emotions in this line of work will get you killed.”  _

_ Her scrutinizing stare making Moon grow increasingly nervous as she responds with a silent, understanding nod. _

_ “Just thought you needed the reminder; I look forward to your report.” _

* * *

 

Anabel’s words, undoubtedly, struck a chord with Moon.

That very phrase has been taught, uttered, and yelled at her through her entire time in training. It was  _ the _ golden rule, if not one of them, and Moon understood that it was there to protect the lives of the people in the force and to assure successful missions.

But Anabel wouldn’t sternly remind her if it was just about keeping a level head on the field.

No.

Rookie or not, she knew Moon ultimately could do that when it mattered.

What she didn’t know was how Moon would handle a situation with several lives on the line. If she panicked during a simple outing, who was she to say that Moon wouldn’t sacrifice herself, or worse, the mission for someone else?

“Agent...bzzzt. Are Aether grounds always this empty?” Rotom’s question interrupts Moon train of thought as they made their way down the tree lined path. 

Moon’s eyes scan the location only to confirm Rotom’s observation.  It really was lonely, but alas it was her terms and conditions that brought her to Aether in the middle of the night. “No, but I’m not here for regular business anyways,” Moons murmurs, the lack of excitement evident in her tone. 

“Agent, you could’ve said no to this you know? Bzzt”

Moon lets out a small scoff. “As if they would let that slide. Anabel was right in saying that I was putting myself in danger.”

“I mean, that may be true...” Rotom interjects, “but you were picked for what you do possess, not what you don’t, krr.”

Moon stops in front of the entrance before looking at Rotom incredulously. His kind words were strangely unfamiliar. “Rotom, is this your way of apologizing for last night?” 

Rotom fumbles with his next sentence, but Moon smiles at his feeble attempt. “I think you were right though” Moon reassures Rotom before her she looks ahead of her once again. The doors were shut tight.

“I know the magnetic strip grants me access to the lower floors, but…” Moon reaches into her pocket and pulls out the badge and places it on the nearby key reader, a second and a quiet beep later the doors slid wide open.

Rotom was the first to zip in, already on top of scanning the area, but Moon walks in with a bit more cautiousness. Aether, although stunning in the day time, was terribly eerie in the evening.

Her body turns in circles as she tries to find some sort of sign of life, but then a loud bark echos in the building pulling her attention upwards. Up three floors was Type: Null leaning over the rail, with Gladion appearing not a second later. He peers down to look at what the Pokemon was reacting to, but as his gaze landed on Moon his eyes grew wide and his mouth dropped ever so slightly.

The sight of Gladion dropping his stoic face was enough for Moon to give him a cheeky smile and a small wave.

He pulls away from the rail and Moon could hear him beckoning Type: Null to follow him.

A moment later the elevator stopped right in front of Moon and Rotom. “How did you get in…?” Gladion asks, the surprise evident in his voice, but for once Moon doesn’t have a snarky reply.

“You’re going to have to give Wicke a raise,” Moon says as she shows him her badge, but Rotom, who wasn’t one to continue idle chit-chat, comes between them.

“President, I’m assuming you have a plan for this evening correct? Bzzt”

Gladion nods as his own hand recreates the same swift moment Wicke did when Moon first came into Aether. “Of course, but we have to head downstairs for that,” he states as he glances over at Moon; silently reassuring her that she would be fine.

And under his gaze she felt that maybe he was right.

* * *

 

The elevator comes to a quick halt as it reaches the ground floor. To no surprise, the basement level was just as barren as the first time she came here.

Cold, dark, and full of secrets.

However, as their footsteps reviberated in the halls, she couldn’t help but to wonder how much had actually unraveled in her time spent at Aether.  She’s gotten ahold of their research, their experiments, their goals, their plans! And whilst Lusamine’s disappearance and the Ultrabeasts were still mysteries she couldn’t help but to wonder what she and the International Police were missing.

What was the missing link in all of this?

What,  _ or who _ , was still working adamantly in the shadows that mimicked these labs?

“Gladion who actually has access to this floor?” Moon asks as he opens the door leading to Secret Lab A. The lights flickering on blind her for a second as she squints to readjust her vision as Gladion beckons her to follow her to the middle panel. It looked like an incubator, but the code he types in soon produces a single Pokeball.

“My mother and her most  _ trusted _ employees” he spits, as he reaches in to grab the contents. “But now it’s just me, Wicke, Faba and...well, you.”

Moon didn’t miss the small smile that appeared on his face as he places the Pokeball in her hands with the utmost care. Her heart thumps as she feels his fingers brush up against hers.

“I trust you enough to take this Type: Null.”

The small palpitations in her chest increase ten-fold as shock, nerves, and  _ emotions _ started building up.

But before she could refuse and shove the Pokeball back in his hands he powers off the device and leans against the metal frame as his arms cross in front of his chest. Curiously, he refuses to meet Moon’s gaze as he mutters: “I also know this Pokemon will protect you.” 

Her traitorous heart clamours in her chest once more. Anabel’s voice loudly echoes in her head as she tried to not look into the deeper meaning behind of his words. And in order to stop herself from asking what he  _ truly _ meant, she hurriedly presses the button on the Pokeball. The red beam shoots out as a Type: Null appears in midst of the lab that had been, where she assumed, it’s creation ground. 

It was smaller than Gladion’s, and it’s eyes, although barely visible through the helmet, seemed wary.

“Hey,” Moon says gently in order to gain the Pokemon’s attention, but her voice gave the Pokemon a scare as it quickly backed up into the nearby wall. A whimper escapes its lips, and small tremors follow suit as its eyes continue to dash around the fluorescent lit room. 

Moon’s heart broke at the sight as she turns her head to look at Gladion’s own pained expression. 

“Your Type: Null was like this too, huh?”

His eyes widen at the quick observation. “Yeah,” he mutters sadly, but that’s all Moon needed to hear. She knew the signs of mistreated Pokemon, and the secret experiments on the Type: Null definitely fell in line.

A long sigh escapes her as she slowly sits down on the floor. 

“Agent what are you--”

Moon shakes her head, stopping Rotom’s sentence right away. “You two need to send your information on wormholes to Agent Sun.”

Rotom, unphased by her serious nature when it really came to, hummed in understanding as he floated closer to the President.

“And Gladion?” Moon’s solemn voice fills the air as the blonde watches her bring herself to the ground. She swiftly crosses her legs as her eyes concentrate on the Pokemon across the way; one of her hands pats the floor next to her.

“I’m going to need you to leave your Type: Null here.”

* * *

 

In the dark basement level Moon couldn’t tell how many hours had really passed as she watched the the new Type: Null sleep on her lap. It’s calm breathing gave Moon peace of mind after hours of push and pull from Gladion’s Type: Null and her own patient pleas. A tired sigh escapes her lips as she lifts a hand to pet the much larger chimera, it’s helmet pushes itself into her hand gently, accepting the gesture. “Thank you for your help Type: Null,” she whispers in order to not disturb the Pokemon in her lap, but she feels the pokemon shift anyways.

 

“I think this is enough bonding for now. Training will have wait,” she murmurs as she gently nudges the Pokeball onto her Type: Null. The red beam soon takes the weight off her, literally and figuratively as she comes to terms with becoming a trainer again. It wouldn’t be bad as long as she kept the trust with this Pokemon.

 

She slowly pushes herself up, allowing her sore muscles to adjust as Gladion’s Type: Null comes closer to her. 

 

“Can I tell you a secret?” Moon cheekily says towards the Pokemon who tilts its head in confusion.“I’m going to nickname your new friend after your trainer.”

Type: Null barks happily in approval as she clips the Pokeball onto her waist and walks across the room. Her hand swings the door out as she holds the door open for the large Pokemon.

“Let’s go find Gladion and Rot--” Moon begins when her head snaps towards a sound down the hall. It was the elevator, no doubt, but Type: Null’s quiet growling from deep within its chest only confirmed one thing:

_ It wasn’t Gladion coming down _ .

She quickly closes the door and looks around the tiny lab. Very few hiding spots were readily available for her, let alone the Pokemon accompanying her. She clicks her tongue, quickly beckoning the Pokemon to follow her behind a wall in the lab. 

_ Funny how I always end up in this situation _ , Moon thinks sarcastically as she hears the door swing open. Their footsteps click on the floor as they make their way across the room. A distinct nasally voice could be heard saying “how dare they” and “I do not deserve this ridicule.”

But that was enough for Moon to know who was present.

_ Faba. _

A exasperated and dramatic sigh leaves the lanky man. “Even though **_I’m_** the one who gets their wormholes up and running, I get blamed for them not lasting longer than a couple of minutes.”

Another sigh, a few taps and couple of beeps later indicate the machine in the center of the room was being activated once more.

“Idiots!”

Moon takes care in calming her breathing, a sturdy, but gentle hand on Type: Null’s nape to prevent it from jumping out sporadically. She could feel the growling rumbling from deep inside the Pokemon; it was ready ready to pounce on the man. But she couldn’t let go just yet. 

They had to be careful in this situation. 

Moon ever so slightly, leans out from behind the wall. Her eyes carefully watching as she sees the man pull out a single black and blue Pokeball. Her eyes widen, recognizing the design from one of the files. 

_ The Beast Ball. _

Moon sees him unleash the latch, half expecting a large imminent threat to emerge from the beam, only to see a tiny cloud; purple and black with stars, as if it held an entire galaxy in the contents of its small body. 

And it was completely terrified.

“Pew…” it cries only for Faba to place it directly in the machine.

“I’ll show them! Because now that we have you, our plans can’t fail,” Faba says haughtily to the Pokemon when Moon comes out from behind the wall.

“STOP!”   


Weaponless. Contactless. Running off pure adrenaline.

Faba panics as his hand hits some random keys causing the machine to start blinking rapidly and shoot an electric pulse into the middle. The Pokemon inside starts crying in dismay, Faba turns around completely furious as his eyes land on Moon.

“WHAT. ARE. YOU. DOING. HERE!?” Faba enunciates as he stomps across the way to grab Moon by the collar. His eyes were full of anger, his grip was tight, but before Moon could start breathing shallowly she swiftly kicks him and brings him into a hold on the ground. 

“LET ME GO YOU INSOLENT CHILD,” he yells as he tries to wriggle out from Moon’s hold as her mind runs a mile of minute. 

She needed backup.

She needed to save the Pokemon.

She needed to arrest Faba.

But right as she was about to ask Type: Null to hold Faba down the small galaxy let out an unbearably high pitched sound. Her hands clamp around her ears, as she watches the lights in the room begin to flicker, and the machine short circuit.

“Shit,” Moon whispers as she points Type: Null towards the man as she quickly stumbles towards the machine. She scans the multiple buttons, unsure of what to press to release the Pokemon, when the machine starts sparking and smoking, making it impossible to maneuver. 

The cry soon stops all together alongside the machine. The silence deafening as Moon stared ahead, expecting something to appear...only for the fire alarm and sprinkles to come to life.

Moon lets out a cough as she fans the air around her in an attempt to approach the remains of the machine, but a dark bubbling laugh coming out of Faba calls her attention. Type: Null aggressively barks at him, but it doesn’t stop his laughter. 

“You’re too late, girly,” Faba says from the ground. His speech slightly slurred as his cheek laid against the floor.

“What did you do?” Moon asks through gritted teeth as she walks closer to the pinned man.

“The greatest feat ever. Lusamine asked and I delivered,” his voice oozed confidence, much to Moon’s disgust. She kneeled down to get to his level and proceeded to grab a fistful of his shirt, lifting him ever so slightly in the process.  
  


His wince proved that the back stretch was a little  _ much _ under the weight of the Pokemon.

“What. Did. You. Do?” Moon repeats, her voice lower, more threatening.

The man swallowed thickly. He could talk big, but he had no real backbone.

  
“I opened up the wormholes as requested,” an evil, misshapen smile makes its way to his face, “ **permanently.** ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW NEW CHAPTER. WOW PROGRESS. WOW.


End file.
